


As the Night the Day

by Shenandoah76209



Series: Chains [3]
Category: Firefly, Riddick (2013), The Chronicles of Riddick Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2019-06-05 00:12:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 139,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15158231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shenandoah76209/pseuds/Shenandoah76209
Summary: Sequel to Break the Civilized Chains (finally). Riddick and River have gotten off of Not Furya and become partners and friends...and maybe something more. But River's still avoiding Serenity's crew and Riddick hasn't found Furya. And sooner or later, someone's going to have to do something about the Necromongers.





	1. Time Shall Unfold What Plighted Cunning Hides

**Author's Note:**

> This above all: to thine own self be true,  
> And it must follow, as the night the day,  
> Thou canst not then be false to any man.  
> -Hamlet – William Shakespeare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time shall unfold what plighted cunning hides,  
> Who covers faults at last with shame derides.  
> Well may you prosper.  
> \--King Lear, William Shakespeare

She was sleeping, her hand under her pillow, sprawled on her stomach, beneath her quilts and sheets and looking warm and delicious. He'd noticed she slept like that more often than not these days. He wondered if it meant she was finally healing from what the mercs had done to her. He hoped so. It was getting more and more difficult to keep his brain off thoughts of sex when it concerned his diminutive partner. Especially when he saw her sleeping like that. The old thoughts of how gorgeous she was and how much he'd like to have her in bed with him would come creeping into his mind unless he choked them back.

Compared to the way she’d slept when he first met her, curled in a ball like a beaten animal or an abused child, this was a vast improvement. Unfortunately, she looked entirely too much like a woman for his peace of mind. He wasn't used to curbing his thoughts or behavior, but he'd learned that he was liable to get things thrown at him for lustful thoughts, at least for the first six to seven months with her. Kitten always smelt amused when she did it but with an undertone of annoyed. She hadn’t done it at all lately, not for four or five months, though her amusement remained constant, the annoyance had faded.

It had been the nightmares that had really put paid to his inappropriate thoughts. He knew the sound of a woman begging for mercy, praying for death, for any respite from torture. That had pretty much killed any lust he felt for his little partner in the first month. Well, it had killed his thoughts and fantasies, he’d probably lust after her until the day he died, but he could stifle those for her sake. At least while he was awake. Asleep was another issue entirely.

Kitten shifted and sighed in her sleep and he shut her door. He didn’t like to intrude on her sleep but it was habit to check on her. The nightmares didn’t come as often but they still came. It was hard to believe they'd lasted a year. But then he'd never met anyone like her in his life. He'd never have thought there was anyone who could keep up with him, match him for brains and mule stubborn, but she managed.

He'd learned the hard way that he shouldn't touch her when she was asleep, only his quick reflexes had kept her from opening his throat. Generally, that hand under her pillow was clutching a knife and he had the scar on his shoulder to prove it. She’d been apologetic, stitching him up and worrying over him like she’d maimed him for life. She'd gotten better; they both had, since he was no safer to wake suddenly than she was.

At least he hadn't drawn blood though his shiv had ended up at her throat. But then, he had a little more experience than she did and nobody had made him a slave for a year and a half. He chuckled ruefully and looked at Dog, "How old are we now?" He shrugged and headed for the bridge. Mentally he tried to calculate the answer to his own question and came up with a number of around thirty-five, possibly. It was probably closer to forty but since he really couldn't be sure when he'd been born he split the difference. Kitten could probably tell him, but his actual physical age wasn't determined by his birth year since he'd spent so much time in cryo being transported one place or another.

Funny thing about cryo, it kept the body young but in cases like him and Kitten? Their minds...well, she'd called it going wobbly. Riddick knew that he went bug house crazy after too much time in cryo. Something about being awake and not feeling yourself breathe or your heart beating only once a minute, everything physical dull as a butter knife. And the dreams didn't help. Even he had to sleep, even if it wasn't a cryo sleep and Shirah loved to come and fuck with his head.

Kitten was murmuring in her sleep, nonsense mostly, sometimes it included his name. Most of the time actually. He got the impression that sometimes she Read more in her dreams than she did awake. She never sounded pissed though, never said his name like she was afraid and dreams would be where fear would show up, if it was gonna show up at all. Riddick smiled slightly as he took over from the autopilot and checked their course. A year ago, sailing the merc boat and landing on a tiny weird ass moon hidden in an ion cloud, he would never have guessed their unlikely partnership would last.

That had been a very strange day.

* * *

 

Riddick looked over at Kitten as she rechecked her weapons and frowned, "You're that worried? What's on this _tiān shā de_ moon Kitten?"

Her mouth twisted wryly, and he could smell her nerves and a little embarrassment, "Should be nothing here. Opened the channels wide, let the tide come in, no voices to be heard. But the dead still speak. And sometimes they are quiet until they are seen with the eyes."

"Lotsa dead here I guess?" Riddick set the boat down on the very banged up looking landing strip and looked at Dog. It was sitting next to his bunk but looked up eagerly as it heard the engines shut down, hoping for time in real gravity.

Kitten nodded, "Reavers, and a friend too." She was staring out the window and finally took a deep breath and nodded at him. "Please...if I seem...odd. Don't touch me. I don't know what I'll do."

Riddick looked at her for a long moment and nodded, "Yeah." He looked at Dog, "What about him?"

"Should be fine," She'd smiled slightly. "No experience with animals besides the one within her. Might be better than having you around." She'd moved towards the doors then and jumped down before the ramp touched the ground.

Riddick had followed her, shutting the ship behind him and Dog just as a matter of caution. The landing strip had gouges in it, and the metal hanger had huge dents in the walls and scars like the scraping of steel against steel. A ship had crashed here, it must have taken a helluva pilot to get it this far. "Nobody flies like my mister," Kitten murmured softly in an accent that wasn't her own and threw a sad look over her shoulder. "Friend died on a spear the width of Riddick's arm. It tore right through him, in his moment of triumph." She shook her head and led him down a tunnel into a room with a hole torn right through the wall.

Kitten stopped, and Riddick looked around instinctively taking a deep breath as he studied the place. He could smell old blood; see the stains of it on the floor and walls. It was everywhere, dried into the paint, stuck to the metal, there was virtually nowhere in the entire room untouched by it. He looked up at the windows with the grills torn out, the doors he and Kitten had entered by had been battered down. Some of the walls were blacked as if a bomb had gone off and blood splashed over the charred paint. There'd been evidence of an explosion, or several, in the hallway as well. He looked at her and was surprised to see a smile on Kitten's face. "You were here," He realized, "During the fight."

She nodded and turned to look at him, holding her axe, the wickedly curved blade she was never without. "It was here she became the protector. Here that she proved she was more than the weapon. More than the broken child who saw further than she'd ever wanted. She could take the training, what they made her and use it for something that was not within their aims. Perfect memory, forgets nothing, could break the programing but keep the skills learnt." She motioned him towards the doors across the room and drew her sword.

"Began weaponless," She dropped her blades. "But I learned from the people who'd protected me, from Jayne, Mal and Zoe. If you have no weapon, kill someone and take his." She mimed the kick and punch that had killed somebody and picked up her axe, "Do the same again until you have weapons that suit you. And then..." She whirled, a graceful deadly dance of blades and flying kicks, punches and sword thrusts, recreating her fight from memory. "Then I was alone in a roomful of dead men." She moved towards the doors where he stood and bent to the controls.

"Why were you alone?" Riddick was pretty damn sure he was not thrilled with that at all. Who in their right mind had left her alone in a roomful of men ready to kill her? Where had her brother been in all of that?

"Captain had gone to send the message," Kitten told him gently. "The gap at Thermopylae all over again. The crew fought, made their stand, until they were nearly overwhelmed. Injured, every single one of them, even the healer. My _gē ge_ was belly shot. I wasn't hurt. Hadn’t been fighting; the ocean, the tides had overwhelmed me again, couldn't keep everything out. Reavers are made of rage and madness and hearing it…I could barely function. Until Si--, until my brother was hurt. Shock, pain, fear…and clarity in my mind. Could think again, use the programming to my advantage. Then it was my turn, to take care of him, to protect them. Chose to go out, throw the medical bag in, close the doors on them from the outside. Let the Reavers grab me, pull me back, until I was in their midst, and then I killed them all."

“I’ve really got to read about this Thermopylae thing you keep mentioning,” Riddick leaned against the wall and tilted his head, Dog pressing against his legs, "It was Reavers you fought? Not men?" He was trying to picture it in his mind, slender, deadly little Kitten with her big eyes and pretty hands, surrounded by madmen, cutting them down until she was standing in a sea of bodies. She was still too thin to be completely healthy but it was a very pleasing image he’d conjured in his mind.

She nodded solemnly, "They were." Kitten moved down the hallway to a lift and pressed a button. "In order to find the secret, we had to go to Miranda. The Reavers live in the space between the dead planet and the rest of the 'Verse. When we came back, the Operative was waiting, as Mal knew he would be. So we fired on the Reavers before we left them. And many followed us to the moon. That was how they came to be here."

"That's a _tā mā de chī xiàn_ plan," Riddick told her flatly.

"Captain did it to protect me, to confound the Alliance, give us a chance to tell the ‘Verse what had happened on Miranda. The secret had driven me half mad. I was in no mental state to plan, or to disagree," The Reader shrugged at him. Her scent was amused, accepting, and a little proud. "But I made sure it worked. Kept most of my crew alive." She shook her head, "But I paid. I paid dearly. Getting the secret out...gave me back my sanity and it cost me everything." She smelt sad now, sorrow washing through her scent until he felt like killing something. He hated that scent on her, wanted to do something to fix it and it wasn’t even his fault. Her small hand patted his arm, "It's all right."

The lift arrived, and she opened the doors. It wasn't huge but it was big enough for the three of them, barely. Riddick growled as the doors closed, Dog whined unhappily and she shrugged at them both, "Won't take long."

It had only been a minute or two before they'd entered a room that would have seemed cavernous even without the wreckage of cortex equipment covering one wall. Riddick could smell blood here too. Kitten had headed immediately towards the wrecked equipment, but she'd answered the question in his mind. "The Operative killed Mr. Universe here. With a sword." She grimaced at whatever she found in the cortex innards and motioned him over, "I'll need your help with this."

"It's not all just no good?" Riddick looked at the smashed screens and broken circuitry on the floor.

"Don't really need the screens unbroken," She shrugged. "I just need enough of it working to find his other systems. They broke everything but there should be enough to put one working cortex together."

"Yeah, you said, he's got other backups?" Riddick remembered what she'd said after they'd left Not Furya.

"Yes," Kitten's head was half in the cortex's insides, "Please hold this." She handed him a cord and crawled with the other end to another cortex, pulling something out and did something that made the ends glow. "Is it bright?"

"Yeah, pretty bright." Riddick looked at that curved backside showing through her pants. They were baggy but the way she was bent was showing off a very sweet _pì gu_. "What should I do with it?"

"Nothing at the moment," Kitten backed out of the cortex and rolled her eyes at him. It wasn't hard to tell that she'd read his thoughts. She began to work on something he recognized as circuit boards, snapping them into place and took the cord from him. "Need to connect it to a screen and keys." She found a screen that was mostly undamaged and grabbed a keyboard ignoring the fact that the back was smashed. In short order she had everything connected. She was frowning at the screen and swiped the dust off it with one hand, "He had a galley of sorts back through there. She indicated an area behind the long curved couch, "Should see if there is any decent food. This might take me a little bit. Also a bathroom back there. We can shower while we’re here. Don’t know what he has for soaps though."

Riddick chuckled and stood, snapping his fingers for Dog who'd been edging closer to her with intent to tug on her braid. “Yeah, I’ll check out the bathroom first, shower if it’s possible, wash some of that damn rock offa me.” Dog whined at him hopefully and looked at her hair again, but Riddick shook his head, "She just got it unsnarled and braided. You go pulling on it it's worth your life and mine." He grinned as he heard an amused giggle, "You really want her mad at you?"

Dog edged closer to the woman, in blatant disobedience and before Riddick could say a word, she turned and glared at Dog, snarling in her throat. Her fingers reached his sensitive nose and flicked it sharply, "Go with Riddick." She commanded. Her sweet voice was a throaty growl. It made Riddick think of fighting and sex and he took a deep breath before he throttled that shit back. Dog whined and got up to move over to him, its big eyes beseeching.

"Don't look at me," Riddick told him. "You know damn well you should have left Kitten alone. Told you cats have claws. But you just gotta test it don't you." He'd shaken his head at the animal and snapped his fingers again for Dog to follow him.

* * *

 

It really hadn't taken than long for Kitten to figure her way around the cortex. She'd chuckled and caught the protein bar he'd thrown at her back, her hand snapped up without even a look. "We'll have to go to the other side of the complex. He's got a set up just as good as this one. It's underground."

"Fun," Riddick had groused. "Can you cook any of this _lè sè_?" He'd held up more MREs, a box full of protein packs and cans of food. "Looks like it’s still good."

"A man can live on packaged food from here 'til Judgment Day if he's got enough rosemary," The Reader's voice wasn't her own again. But she smiled as she said it even if a tinge of sorrow colored her scent. "She was taught to cook. Old crew had two very experienced cooks and they taught her everything they knew. If Riddick will gather up everything in the kitchen she will find a way to the working cortex. Universe had everything set to voice print or pass code."

After he’d showered he’d poked at Kitten until she’d gotten up and done the same, going right back to her cortex work with her hair dripping down her back. He'd gone down to the ship and brought up a couple of boxes, cleaned out the kitchen, such as it was, and taken everything down to the ship again. He took everything, pots, pans, it if wasn't nailed down he took it and he seriously wondering if he could pry up the cabinet and bring it down to the ship just for storage when he heard Kitten giggling again as she braided her mostly dry hair back. "He will not need to steal the furniture," She'd called. "She has found the pass codes."

She'd groaned and pushed herself up off the floor but powered the equipment down and rotated her neck. The movement sent her braid swaying and Dog snapped at it playfully. Kitten growled at him and a sharp little finger pointed in Dog's direction. Riddick shook his head at Dog, "The woman’s working. Let her be."

She'd taken a deep breath and gotten that far away look in her eyes that meant she was Seeing something and then she'd turned and grinned at him. It was a wicked, gamine look that promised there would be a lot of fun. "How attached is he to the merc ship?"

"Not." Riddick had shrugged at her. "Why?" He loved the wicked little smirk on her face but he wsan’t quite sure what she was getting at.

"Need enough fuel to get to Beylix," He watched as she did a quick weapons' check and began to lead them back down to the lift. It went further down than the level they'd entered at when she pressed the keys in a certain sequence. The door opened onto a long dark hallway. Riddick couldn't help but grin at that.

"There any lights here?" He'd asked her and she'd shaken her head.

"She must depend upon he and Dog for guidance until her eyes adjust," Dark eyes were wide as she stepped off the lift. "She can hear no one. Should be no danger."

Riddick had pushed his goggles back and nodded as he looked down the hallway, "Yeah, looks clear." The look she'd given him had been amused and annoyed at the same time and he remembered when he'd used that same phrase on Hades, screwing with Billy Johns. " _Cào dàn_ , this time I actually mean it Kitten," He told her with a chuckle. “Like I’d treat you the way I’d treat that spineless merc.”

She'd rolled her eyes but followed him down the hallway, her hand on Dog's back, using the animal as a guide so his own hands were free. It was a courtesy he appreciated, in his experience surprises tended to get you killed if your hands were occupied. Being prepared for surprises of any kind seemed to be one of Kitten’s areas of expertise.

But there hadn't been any surprises of the deadly kind waiting for them. Just a room with cortex screens filling the walls and a huskers dream set up. "And he's got more than one of these backups?"

"Told the captain the simple one in his death message," Kitten had replied absently. "The one least likely to be found. Thought the Operative would find this one. But he didn't. Didn't look any further than the obvious. Too preoccupied with catching the girl. And then dealing with a fleet of Reavers. Very effective distraction." She'd illuminated three screens and was slotting data back and forth, her fingers flying over the keys.

Riddick couldn't help but be impressed at the skill she was displaying. There weren't many huskers in the 'verse who could hack the merc databases the way she was. Or the law enforcement servers but if he was reading right that's what she had on another screen. "Nothing stops the signal. Everything goes somewhere, and I go everywhere," Her voice was someone else's again but she was still smiling. "The ion cloud is increases the signal strength. So we can reach everywhere. He was right. Nothing is ever lost once it's on the cortex. Here," She sent something to another screen for him to see and he saw a camera feed of a bar.

Kitten was in the middle of it, fighting all comers and kicking major ass. Riddick nearly groaned at the sight of her, hair flying, fists and feet deadly, she was something to watch. Just like him, her entire body was a weapon. There weren’t many people who would survive what she did to them and she wasn’t even using blades or a gun. There were only two she didn't completely incapacitate. A big guy with a goatee who seemed to know her and a Browncoat who'd aimed a gun at her the very same time she aimed at him. Then someone else had come in and she'd fallen into sleep, dropping like a stone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: So as I said in the summary, this is the sequel to Break the Civilized Chains. Chapters will be of varying lengths as I find good stopping points. It’s a lot longer than the first one, because I was doing a lot more character development and it just got away from me. I hope you enjoy it though.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> tiān shā de (goddamn)
> 
> gē ge (big brother)
> 
> tā mā de chī xiàn (fucking crazy)
> 
> pì gu (butt)
> 
> lè sè (Garbage, trash)
> 
> Cào dàn (fuck)


	2. If She Be False, O! Then Heaven Mocks Itself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Tis destiny unshunnable, like death.  
> Even then this forkèd plague is fated to us  
> When we do quicken. Look where she comes.  
> If she be false, heaven mocked itself.  
> I’ll not believe ’t.  
> \--Othello, William Shakespeare

While he'd been watching she'd been busy working, "That was before the Miranda wave. Before I regained my mind. They'd triggered me so they could track me down. Every cortex screen was an eye for the Alliance Operative. Nearly killed Jayne and Mal. Before Simon made me sleep. Where are you hiding, little girl?" Her voice was cool and elegant, a core voice, but the intonation was precise. He could tell it wasn't her words, she was quoting someone again, someone with the same accent she had but without her warmth or humor.

"Said you broke the triggers, do the words to make you sleep still work?" Riddick asked as he turned to watch her working again. Her fingers were flying over the keyboard and he couldn't tell which screen she was looking at her eyes flicked over them so quickly. The data was shifting rapidly, flickering and almost dancing as she worked. He couldn't even make out what she was doing now, she was working so quickly.

"Broken along with the triggers," She shook her head. "Last thing I broke. Couldn't have the safe words made useless until the triggers were gone. Hated being made to sleep though." She shuddered, and he laid a hand on her shoulder, her skin was cold. "It always makes me cold, that memory," She explained. Her cheek rubbed against his fingers, like a cat brushing against someone in affection before she straightened and continued working.

"So whatcha doin' now?" Riddick asked finally giving in to his curiosity. He'd noticed Merc Ops and Law Enforcement weren't on screen anymore. He was curious as to what she was up to. She smelt like suppressed excitement, amusement and satisfaction.

"She is stealing," Kitten had a laugh in her voice. "Stealing this moon from Mr. Universe. Who stole it from the someone else. And she is stealing credits. Mr. Universe has no use for credits anymore. Setting up accounts. A bank on Beylix. Seed money. Not a lot of money but if we get a little work, we could trade the merc ship for a cargo ship. Also looking for work for us."

"What kinda work?" Riddick had worked nearly every job in the 'verse if it was something that didn't require paperwork. Club bouncer, stevedore, anything that required muscle and not brains. No one ever thought he had a brain in his head. It was an assumption he liked to encourage. The less people thought of his brain the more they underestimated him.

"There's a man on Beylix who needs something recovered, but it's from the Tongs. We don't want to mess with them," Kitten shook her head. "Possible heist of a payroll. Usually a three-man job," She looked up at him, "Riddick is big enough to be two people though, so a possibility still." Kitten's giggle floated through the air, "Has he ever done a heist?"

"Nah Kitten, mostly just murder and escapes, an' I steal ships," Riddick stretched out on the floor behind her and let Dog pillow his head. "They hard?"

"Mostly a matter of timing, some misdirection and the application of pressure," Kitten gave him a mischievous glance. "He'd be surprised at how much aptitude he has for it. What was his work on Not Furya if not a heist?"

"You're supposed to be the genius," Riddick returned with a grin. "Think we could handle it?" He liked this, liked the back and forth, the way she assumed he wasn't as dumb as he acted. Being a Reader probably helped with that. But he'd fooled a lot of people with that act. He did some of his best work when people underestimated him. The way he'd fooled the guards into thinking he was asleep in cryo when he was just awake enough to kill them when they opened his tube. The ship they'd been flying had gotten him off planet and the price on his head doubled.

"Shouldn't be hard with the right timing," She shrugged. "And the take is very good. Enough to get a ship we can work on fixing up."

Riddick looked at her thoughtfully, "And if this doesn't work out? Ain't even been a month Kitten."

She turned and looked at him, her dark eyes staring at him. He knew his eyes shone silver in the darkness, they were reflected in her gaze, but they didn't seem to bother her. Kitten's scent always smelled pleased when she saw his eyes, warm and sweet to his nose. "Riddick is worried he will be stuck with a ship he cannot repair? Or that they will both end up with nothing?"

"Just thinkin' it's a little soon to be talkin' on a different boat," Riddick shrugged at her. "Wait until we've done a job or two together, see how we work together, then talk about a different ship." It wasn't that he didn't like the idea, but apart from Not Furya, they had no idea how well they'd do as partners. He didn't like jumping into things even when he had no other choice, lack of precautions chafed at him. And hasty decisions usually led to big problems later. When he had the luxury of time he liked to consider the options, make an informed decision.

She tilted her head and he could almost hear her brain clicking away, calculating, and thinking, "Very well." She nodded and there was no condemnation or irritation in her tone or scent, "Does he have a preference as to jobs?" Her little nose wrinkled in distaste, "Would like to draw the line at murder for hire unless we know exactly who and why someone must die."

"I'm a killer, but nobody's ever accused me of being an assassin," Riddick shrugged. "I ghost someone; it's usually pretty obvious they were killed, not dead some other way." She looked uncomfortable and smelled like it too. Since he knew damn well from their time on Not Furya and on board the ship that she was capable of a stone face with only her scent to give away her feelings he appreciated that she wasn't hiding her expression.

"She…was trained as an assassin," She told him finally. He could smell she was being honest but also that she didn't like what she was saying. "Supposed to be the ultimate weapon, mindless, programmable. Set her to aim and fire and then she is returned to the holster. No one suspects a little girl." She shrugged one slender shoulder and drew her knees up. He'd noticed she did that a lot when she was uncomfortable. "If we use the skills I was taught…want to be sure, certain sure, that the reason is a good one."

Riddick nodded, he could understand that well enough. Being herded and manipulated had never set well with him. He didn't like being told what to do much and having someone try to mess with his brain to set him in a direction, the way the Imam and Aereon had on Helion Prime... That tended to put his back up so he'd deliberately do the opposite of whatever the manipulator wanted. Kitten was studying his face, her eyes intent and he guessed she was reading his thoughts. Just as well. He wasn't the most talkative guy in the 'Verse. And her knowing from the get go that he wouldn't stand for that sort of handling would only help them get along. As he had the thought, she looked and smelled uncomfortable. "What?"

She shook her head, "Spent almost a year and a half, manipulating the mercs. Giving them enough information so that I was useful, but not so much that they were completely safe. Predicting and prophesizing, trying to stay alive. Worried."

"What about?" Riddick studied her. She was nibbling the scar that bisected her bottom lip, catching her lip between her teeth and flicking her tongue over the scar. She did that when she was nervous or worried, he'd seen it on Not Furya and on the ship. She'd been doing it constantly since they'd set a course for this moon and her mental listening expression had almost never fading from her face.

"Don't want to alienate him by behaving the same way. Worried I will without realizing it," Kitten told him with a frown. "Manipulated him into letting her ride with him on the hover bike. Implied he was afraid to let her near. Reverse psychology."

Riddick chuckled, "Yeah, 'cause that wasn't obvious. At all." He shook his head and Dog made a funny moan under his head with the movement. "I think you're pullin' that on me I'll call you on it. How's that? Give you a chance to figure out you're doin' it. And a chance to stop."

She nodded, a grateful smile curving her lips and tilted her head, "Would he like to do the bank job?"

"Can we do it at night?" Riddick wondered. He wasn't exactly unnoticeable and with the lousy goggles he had night would at least put him at an advantage. Not Kitten though, he frowned. He couldn't get her eyes like his, he was pretty sure a shine job would screw with her vision even if the damn thing worked. But a set of night vision goggles would give her vision semi-comparable to his.

She nodded a grin lighting up her face, "In the evening yes. Full dark no, not open then, no one for her to read and get the safe's entry codes. We will want the entry codes since we do not have access to the explosives suited for a contained blast."

Riddick thought about it, evening would likely be dim enough that he could go without goggles, "Let's give it a shot."

* * *

 

The bank job had gone pretty well. Well enough that they'd been able to put some money away. And they'd figured out each other's quirks, the things they each had to adjust for. His little partner was too damn smart for her own good. And he had the habit of figuring everyone's motive was to get the best of a deal. Not that either of them were wrong but it had taken a near month of working together before they'd settled into a good rhythm.

It had been closer to three months after Not Furya before they'd found a ship on Beylix. Riddick ran his hand over ladder leading up to the engine room as he moved down the abbreviated hallway to the bridge. A year after Not Furya they'd finally gotten the boat set to the way they wanted. Each of them had a good-sized room. There was a working galley and a nice common area and two rooms for passengers if they ever had the stomach to take them on.

He really doubted that would happen. Neither he nor his genius partner cared much for other people. They both worried about being recognized, though the husking work Kitten had done pretty much reduced that issue to nil. They couldn't be matched to anything on the cortex but that was only cameras and screens. People had long memories and he'd caused enough trouble through the worlds spinnin' that he'd rather avoid people.

But they'd had the rooms and she'd figured if they ever got really hard up for cash at some point it would be nice to have the option. And he really hadn't been able to argue with that. So the two smaller dorms were fixed with bunk beds and set up for guests.

Riddick chuckled to himself as he checked the course they had set for Persephone. They'd put money away like a squirrel hoarded nuts for winter but once they got the ship, both he and Kitten had spent quite a bit getting their quarters the way they wanted, once the boat was actually up and running. Shelves that locked down so nothing spilled off 'em. A huge desk and tons of cortex equipment for Kitten's room and a desk/workbench for him. He'd taken to carving in his spare time, shivs, but other things too. And both of them had filled up the shelves with books and weapons. He couldn't be sure which of them had the bigger library or arsenal.

But they'd agreed that a third of each job would go towards upkeep and furnishing the ship. They'd split the cost of food and care for Dog. Of course that was after they paid for fuel and food and other necessities they couldn't quite go without. The thirds were a bit smaller then but they were still decent.

She'd muttered something about being certain nothing exploded and she'd smelt like a bad memory. He guessed the last ship she'd crewed on hadn't been quite so careful. So if she was a little paranoid about making sure they were sailing the Black without issues he didn't mind one bit. The Black was no fun without life support. They'd looked at other boats but none of them would be as simple to keep running. They didn't want to take on a third, well fourth if you counted Dog, crew member, not with their pasts, so whatever boat they purchased had to be something they could keep ticking along on their own. And it couldn't be of such a rare type that parts were hard to find and thus expensive.

Kitten was adamant that they get a ship that could carry a good amount of cargo. She also advocated a boat that wasn't going to stand out. He'd caught sight of an Arrowhead and made an attempt to talk her into it but once he'd taken a look inside he hadn't been nearly as enamored. If he'd wanted to sleep in a five by ten cell he could go back to a slam. They would have had to gut the entire ship and rebuild it if they wanted any type of community space or good sized bunks and then they still wouldn't have a lot of space left for cargo. It seemed like a decent enough boat for short hops but not much to have any sort of life in.

Kitten had salvaged a databook from Universe's broken equipment and repaired it, loading it up with ships specs so he could look them over at his leisure. He'd appreciated that since most of the ships he'd dealt with prior to meeting her had been suited for the outer systems and all of them had cryo cuffs or containers. Things were spread out a bit more once you were out of the Alliance systems and cryo was something of a necessity. That didn't mean he liked it any better, just that he knew how to deal with it, mostly, without completely losing his mind, though the jury was still out on that one considering how he acted when he came out of cryo.

They'd looked at an old Firefly and a Tree Frog and decided both were too large and too complex for them. They were good ships but Fireflies could be touchy, they needed genius mechanics to keep them running unless they were in great condition and they needed to have that mechanic in the engine room much of the time. Tree Frogs stood out to Law Enforcement like beacons. They were fast and everyone knew it. After all the trouble Kitten had gone to, hiding their faces and husking the cortex to change their identities that was not the kind of attention the two of them wanted. And both of those ships needed more than a two man crew. They'd rattle around like beans in a can if they bought one of those boats.

An old tank lifter had possibilities and there'd been a couple of smaller ships that might have done. But they weren't in production anymore, due to the manufacturers going under after the war. That meant parts would be hard to find. He wasn't keen to go scrounging through junkyards to find parts if they could avoid it. The junkyards wouldn't be so bad but the time it would take would cost them a lot of coin. That meant as time went on the sight of them would become more rare, and attention drawing. And again, the minimum crew to run them had been three, that was, as Kitten had joked, three folks who walked on two feet, not four. So it had come down to the Knorr.

He still hadn't been sold on a ship that could carry a ton, or couple hundred, of cargo until Kitten had explained that cargo went everywhere and thus made the perfect excuse for being on whatever world they were on. They could carry mail, animals, goods, anything they could fit in the hold and make money that way. And while they were carrying cargo the less than legal jobs like heists and such were much less noticeable than a ship sailing around like they had all the time in the world and nothing to do.

He'd known that in the back of his mind but he hadn't ever tried to lead this kind of life outside the law. It made a lot of sense when he began to think about it. His experiences had been more in the escaping, hiding out until forced to stick his head out, and then getting captured (on purpose or not) and repeating the entire process. When he'd been Lord Marshall he'd gotten soft, but he'd still been constantly on guard against attacks. Not Furya had been the most restful time he'd had until those damn mudbugs had woken up.

He wandered off the bridge and into the exercise room. Here was the primary reason he'd agreed with his diminutive partner about getting a cargo ship. Traditionally a Knorr had more passenger quarters. The upper deck was devoted to crew and passengers, the lower deck to cargo with the engine room above the upper deck. He and Kitten had decided that they'd rather gut half the upper deck. So they'd torn out all but two of the passenger quarters and put in practice mats and dummies, punching bags, shelves of practice weapons and a weight bench. He'd rigged up targets for one wall to throw knives at and they had competitions. The most recent addition was a pool table, stuck in an odd corner that was too small for sparring and too big to dedicate to weights. It was a real table, not a holographic one and they'd never have been able to afford it if Kitten hadn't found some estate sale with everything going cheap. They'd gotten it by virtue of being the only ones capable of taking it apart and putting it back together so it could be moved. That had been a chore and a half but it was a nice way to pass the time that didn't involve the cortex, carving or some other work on the boat. They'd bolted it to the floor, just like they had most of the other heavy furniture, so if they ran into issues it wouldn't get jolted around. The pool cues and balls were kept in slots along side the table, locked securely.

His, fastidious as her namesake, partner had insisted on a laundry room too. So they didn't have to pay anyone to clean their clothing. After he saw the launderers' rates he'd had to admit that she was right about that one. Docking fees included water and sewage removal so all they had to do was wait until they docked and then put the dirty clothes in the washer. They also tended to take good long showers when they were docked.

Riddick hadn't been convinced that the whole thing was workable until Kitten had grabbed some paper and drawn it out for him. A Knorr had the advantage of being a common sight in the outer Rim. They were so common they were nearly invisible. Maintenance was fairly simple and parts were easy to get. And in the war they'd been used as blockade runners and had ordinance added so in the future that was a possibility as well. Especially with a woman who was a genius with the cortex doing the programming and installation. Technically a Knorr needed a pilot, co-pilot and engineer but the engines were simple enough that with Kitten upgrading the cortex they could get by with only the two of them and Dog. And he'd never flown with the luxury of a co-pilot in his life.

The Knorr was the best ship they could afford and keep flying on their own, and if they took out half the passenger rooms they wouldn't have to sacrifice cargo space for an exercise area. By mutual decision after the galley it was the first room they set up, even if it was only with the basics of weights and a sandbag. They'd slept in bedrolls on the floor for two months before they even got their own rooms set up.

It had been a godsend some days. Days when he was so frustrated with everything that he needed to pound a sandbag. He'd never worked with someone long term. It was an adjustment and not just curbing his thoughts. It was strange to be in the company of another person, one who could talk and had opinions and wasn't afraid to share them. He knew he wasn't the easiest person to get along with either. But money was really tight for what seemed like a long time when they were starting out. Kitten certainly didn't complain, and he couldn't, they were both way better off than when they'd first met. No shackles on either of them and even if they were eating protein bars at least they were eating. Even with the two of them planning the jobs and working together there were times they were closer to broke than either of them liked. Times when there wasn't any spare cash.

That meant no whores for him, no downtime for her, and nonstop work with one of the most beautiful women he'd ever met. He was glad of her; he had to admit that to himself. But it would be easier to stifle his urges if she wasn't so perfect. It was even more difficult because she could keep up with him. He didn't have to protect her. He could trust her to watch his back.

That was part of the problem, Riddick picked up his weights and began to pump some iron in the hopes of cooling his blood. If Kitten hadn't been so capable, so _gāi sǐ_ good at keeping up with him, he probably wouldn't find her so fucking attractive.

He growled his frustration into the air. He needed a whore. It had been a month and a half of constant work and if he was going to keep control of himself and not think about the gorgeous woman asleep in her bed he needed something besides exercise to work off his energy.

* * *

 

River stirred and shivered in her bed as she felt Riddick's lust washing over her. Poor man, she turned on her back and took a deep calming breath. They'd been working hard. He needed a break and a woman. It had been too long for him. And she could use some true gravity time and fresh air.

She pushed herself out of bed and pulled on her exercise clothing before she left her room. Riddick was exercising, trying to work off his energy. At least they had the room to do that now. Those first couple months on the merc ship had been very difficult for him. Close quarters, a female partner, he'd done his best but he wasn't used to flying with anyone.

River smirked to herself over the memory. She'd had to practically lead him to the whores that first time. He'd known they were broke. But his dreams had been driving her crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So here we are. I'm going to try and post a chapter every ten days or so. They won't be super long, not like Animals, but I'll be posting them more quickly than I do Animals. Please let me know what you think and what you think will happen. I'm always curious as to how folks think the story will progress and if they've figured out what I have planned. I do have the entire thing pretty much written, but it needs editing so bear with me.
> 
> I'm trying to continue some of the style from the first story, with quotes as the chapter titles. Unlike BtCC all of these will be from Shakespeare. I encourage you to look them up.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> gāi sǐ (damned)


	3. Get Thee To a Nunnery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Get thee to a nunnery, go. Farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewell.  
> \--Hamlet, William Shakespeare

River moaned in her sleep and shuddered. Riddick was dreaming again. She opened her eyes and peered down over the edge of her bunk at her partner. His sleep was deep enough that he didn't feel her eyes on him, and she could easily Read his dreams. He didn't mean to dream of her. He didn't mean to think of her at all really. He thought she was beautiful and untouchable at the same time unless it was for the purposes of a job. And even then, he was careful about touching that might frighten her. After a few months of sailing the Black with her in such close quarters, he couldn’t help but notice certain things.

But in his dreams...his subconscious reminded him she was a woman. A woman he'd watched bathe, with skin he wanted to touch and a body he wanted to feel against his. A thousand things he’d seen in the days they’d spent on the merc boat colored his dreams with details. The way she worried at the scar on her bottom lip when she was nervous. Her hair and how dark it was against her skin. And the way she moved, each step deliberate and elegant, like walking was a dance. His lust for her was like a disease, invading her dreams until she was waking up hungry for something that still terrified her when she thought about it too closely.

Funny though, Riddick's dreams weren't...terrifying really. They didn't frighten her so much as her own waking thoughts did. He was gentle, careful of her, his dream-self sought her pleasure as much as his own. He wanted his lips on her skin, his hands in her hair and his body pressed to hers, skin to skin. She knew if he woke and became aware that his dreams had woken her, frightened her, he'd be horrified. He couldn't help his dreams. His waking thoughts of her beauty were ruthlessly controlled. She wondered sometimes if he knew when he was awake, that in his dreams he longed for tenderness as much as sex.

She'd gotten the impression from his thoughts that he hadn't lived around a female for a long period of time. Not since he was a child with other children, too young for such thoughts, too young for control of anything but anger to be an issue. Now Riddick had gone from a life of ease and plentiful women to a hard planet with only Dog for company. And no women at all. Then to a small ship with barely enough room for one person let alone three. Or, depending on what you counted as people, two people, one very large, one small and a very large animal. Riddick’s control was very good. Exceptional even. If she hadn't been a Reader, if she hadn’t been on planet with him, she might have never known he found her attractive.

River frowned as she remembered a month or so ago, hearing his thoughts as she'd been cleaning her guns. Riddick's mind had drifted, to her hands, her legs, and her breasts as she'd sat cross legged on the floor nearby working on her weapons. She'd frozen, fear slicing through her like a blade and the smell of it in his nose had extinguished all his desire. She hadn’t been afraid of him, but at that moment, even the idea of sex was terrifying. He'd snapped his fingers for Dog and the big canine had come over and sat down near her, his big head resting near her thigh. She'd been able to breathe again and Riddick had muttered a brief apology.

Once she could breathe River had been able to explain exactly what it was that had triggered the spell. She’d been very specific that it wasn’t Riddick who scared her. She knew he wouldn’t touch her like that unless she wanted it, her trust in that, in him, was absolute. Since then, his waking thoughts hadn't touched on her sexually for more than the second it took him to rein them in. Though occasionally when he thought she wasn’t paying attention his thoughts would wander. That was when she threw things at him. It always made him grin, and it wasn’t strictly needful for her but it was fun.

The dreams though, the dreams would make her crazy. He needed an outlet for his energies and since she couldn't be that outlet for him, she'd have to find him a place. He would never tell her that he needed a woman. Not when every coin they had went towards survival or savings for a boat. River slid out of her bunk and down the ladder past Riddick's still sleeping form. It was a measure of the trust he had in her that he would still sleep while she moved around. True, the sleep was not as deep, but he still dreamed even as his instincts tracked her movements.

She flicked the cortex screen on low and began to mentally chart a course. They weren't far from Odin, the moon where she'd seen a baby born. The whorehouse there would suffice. And she'd be able to trust the women there to keep their mouths shut about she and her partner.

"Kitten?" Riddick's voice was tired but curious as he woke behind her. "What'cha doin'?"

She turned and looked at him, her big cohort, who still wasn't entirely certain they were partners, was confused and a little irritated by the whine of the cortex screen. But he also knew she didn't do things that would wake him up for no reason. "Riddick dreams. The dreams...are a bi-product of his situation."

He wasn't quite embarrassed, Riddick would never be embarrassed by something he could do nothing about, but he did sigh. "Can't do anythin' about dreams," He offered slowly.

River tilted her head, he was still clinging to that habit of acting slow, like a plodding tortoise. It was mildly irritating, but it was a habit he would learn would do him no good with her. She knew how fast his mind could work. Wrinkling her nose at him she shrugged, "She is aware that they are not any fault of his. But she would do something about them. So, she charts a course for Odin."

"What's on Odin that's gonna help you deal with my dreams?" Riddick shook his head and pushed himself all the way out of the bed and down the short distance to the co-pilot's seat.

"Riddick requires sex," River told him concisely and almost grinned at his shocked reaction. "She knows a whorehouse where the women are discreet. Not too expensive. Screened for disease regularly." She keyed in the course and took the controls in her hands.

"Not too expensive still costs," Riddick argued but he didn't try to take control of the ship from her.

"He should listen to his animal side," River rolled her eyes at him. "Furyan side. He has needs. His partner cannot fill those needs. But it is her presence that stimulates the desire for sex. Ruthless control over his impulses is appreciated. But by night he dreams, his needs drive the subconscious… his dreams...wake her."

"Shit," His reaction was succinct and heartfelt. "Shit."

She shrugged at him, "He is not at fault. Riddick's imagination is vivid. Subconscious roams freely through Riddick's mind, takes images and cycles them through his desires." She felt him thinking over what his dreams had been before he woke and his groan was barely audible as he realized what she must have seen. "She would prefer that Riddick dream of his blondes again. She takes him to find other women to think about. Not her."

"We don't got the cash for me to--"

She held up a hand to silence him and obligingly Riddick stopped talking. "She knows these women. She can provide expertise in areas they need, that will suffice as payment." River shrugged, "Plus a discount based on past association. Riddick must promise her he will not ask about the girl when they are there."

"So you're payin a whore an' I don't go dreamin' about you," Riddick summed up the conversation.

"Yes," River nodded. "Well worth the price for peaceful dreams. She is certain that Riddick would be an exemplary lover. Not afraid of her partner. Another time…might have welcomed such thoughts. In the future, perhaps the idea will not frighten me. But his attentions are not...right now...not..." She shuddered and his slightly annoyed gaze softened.

"Yeah I get it," He nodded. "Knowin' I ain't gonna hurt you, wouldn't touch you. That's different from feelin' what I been doin' to you in my dreams." He sighed wearily.

"She does not mean to be a bother," River offered quietly. "Dreams are not his fault."

"Don't go apologizin' for somethin' neither of us can help," Riddick shook his head at her. "Just wonderin' why this partnership thing is somethin' you want." He looked at her and she knew he was seeing how different they were in his mind. The huge rough looking male and the slender delicate female; they were polar opposites in everything except the horrors of their pasts.

"She likes that he can keep up," River told him gently. "And he keeps his word. Both running. Both escapees. She is sorry that he feels he must hold back with her. But she will not hold back from him. And it will not be forever that his dreams wake the girl. She...I...I will heal." She turned her attention to the ships controls again. "Get some more sleep. Five hours to Odin."

* * *

 

Riddick was grateful for his goggles all over again when Kitten landed the ship on the very dusty and bright moon. The building near them was covered in reflective foil, solar sheeting providing the house with cheap power. A pretty, if slightly worn woman, exited the large house and walked down to the gate as Kitten descended the ramp.

"I know you," The woman, a Madame, if Riddick guessed right, exclaimed when she saw Kitten. "But--"

"She is no longer traveling with the others," Kitten interrupted. "Please do not use that name. Nor make mention that she was ever here." She took the dark-haired woman's hand between her own. "Please Petaline, no one can know that we came here."

"Is it safe for you to be here?" The woman asked with a slightly dubious glance at Riddick and her eyes widened as she saw Dog behind them.

"For you, yes, absolutely," The delicate girl nodded. "My partner is Rick. I go by Lil now." She smiled slightly, "We would like to purchase the services of your girls for him."

"Not for you though honey," The Madame asked shrewdly and Kitten shook her head. "All right then. Lock up your boat, and I'd appreciate you disarmin' before you touch my girls." She looked right at Riddick when she said it.

"I don't go anywhere unarmed," Riddick shook his head. He knew it was stubborn, but no matter how much Kitten vouched for these women and this place, he couldn't go without weapons. That stubbornness had kept him alive more than once.

"Don't mean in the main rooms," Petaline shook her head at him and gestured for the two of them to follow her. Dog happily leapt the front gate when it shut behind them and jumped onto the shade of the shallow porch. He curled into a ball with a contented sigh and Riddick couldn't help but smile slightly at the crazy animal. "Is that...dog safe?"

"Depends," Riddick shrugged and River rolled her eyes at him.

"Perfectly safe unless someone attacks Rick," She assured the Madame as they were led inside. Riddick pointed his finger at Dog for the animal to stay.

"I'll have someone find a bowl with some water for him then," The curvy woman was saying to Kitten as Riddick shut the door behind him.

The house smelt like perfume and sex, men and women, and Riddick looked at Kitten curiously. She was speaking quietly with the Madame, Petaline, explaining that her partner hadn't been with a woman in quite some time and had an appetite. "He ain't been takin' that out on you has he honey," Petaline was giving Riddick a look that wasn't entirely pleased.

"He would never," The slender core woman had nothing but truth in her voice and scent. "Very protective of her. But he has never traveled with a woman before. Never had a female associate."

"Ahh..." Petaline's laugh was amused and understanding. "So, he needs to take the edge off so’s he can behave himself around you."

"Somewhat," Kitten nodded while Riddick looked around the room. A bar, a multitude of women, some younger men, along with a few patrons who were looking at him as if he was a live grenade that had landed in their laps. He was glad he'd taken off the goggles on the porch. In the shaded light of the house, his eyes just looked dark; the reflective silver wouldn't show much.

"Well, why don't he have a look around at my girls, and them at him, and we'll work out how much trade it'll take," Petaline was smiling. "Do I need to warn them of anything?"

"Don't try to sneak up on him. Don't bring weapons to bed. Don't expect to lie there and pretend," The Reader said promptly, and Riddick nearly chuckled at the last one.

"Don't bother if they ain't willin'," He told Petaline flatly. "I ain't ever been with a woman unwillin' an' I ain't about to start now." He looked at two of the whores by the window, talking quietly and knew that let them out of the potential pool.

"Honey, you don't have to worry about that. I don't force anyone here to do what they don't want," The Madame was being very truthful and there was a grin from some of the whores, boys and girls to second her assertion.

"Then let us work out what we can afford and what you will charge," Kitten said quietly. Petaline had nodded and directed Riddick to enjoy a drink if he liked, first drink was free. And to look around, get to know some of the women, maybe some would appeal more than others.

Then she and Petaline had disappeared into a little office and shut the door. The door didn't exactly block anything out from his hearing, which Kitten would know, and he could hear the Madame asking exactly what the hell had happened. And the diminutive Reader, predictably enough, had said she didn't want to talk about it. She wasn't going back and that was the important thing.

She'd changed the subject, asking about someone named Jonah and then getting to the nitty gritty of business. Riddick had been approached by several whores at that point and gave them at least some of his attention, part of him monitoring Kitten's conversation and what he could smell of her scent. Part of him was listening for other ships, horses or mules, for Dog to sound an alarm.

But a good portion of his brain was given over to the whores that were talking to him, trying to find out likes and dislikes and attempting to entice his attentions. He had a lapful of woman before he'd gotten two words out and they didn't seem to mind that he didn't appear to be the brightest bulb in the box. One of them was leaning over his back, a pretty blonde, and had her mouth on his neck, while the one in his lap was encouraging his hands to wander. They all smelt clean and sweet, lavender and gardenias, just short of overwhelming to his sensitive nose.

He'd been enjoying himself pretty well, women pressed up to him, letting him put his big hands on all sorts of body parts. It had been sorta fun, being allowed to touch over clothing. Curves and hollows, long hair and sweet scented flesh. He'd narrowed his choice down to two and was trying to decide between a curvy brunette and a willowy blonde when Kitten's conversation concluded. She and the Madame came out of the office and Riddick looked at them both. Dear god he wanted to fuck but business first. He stood, easing the brunette off his lap, though he kept a hand on her waist just because she'd put it there in the first place.

"How much?" He asked his diminutive brunette. "Ain't breakin' our bank on this." Yeah, he wanted to get laid in the worst way at the moment but they'd been talking on getting a ship with more space for cargo and that wouldn't happen if they blew their money on whores for him. The merc ship was serviceable but it was meant for long hauls and cryo, not short hops between planets and normal living. There was barely enough room for the two of them much less any cargo unless they were smuggling jewels, which was highly unlikely.

The little core woman was smirking in amusement, "She will allow Petaline to explain it to you. Work for her to do with Jonah."

"And who in the sweet fuck is Jonah," Riddick growled the question. He was not having his little woman cozied up to some guy under whatever pretense just so he could vent enough frustration that his dreams went back to normal. She'd only just gotten to the point where she wasn't waking up from nightmares more than once a night. He wouldn't let her throw that away for him. He was a little surprised at the amount of rage he felt at the thought.

Kitten's expression was surprised and then softened into pleasure. Her slender form twisted and slipped between the whores to stand in front of him. "He misunderstands," She whispered. Callused fingertips that still felt too damned soft for his peace of mind slid over his cheek and cupped his jaw. "Jonah is Petaline's son. Three years old now. A safe male for her to spend time with." Her whisper was sweet, the scent that filled his nostrils affectionate and trusting. She smelt like loyalty, gratitude and belief, in him of all people. "She will be cozied up to the baby and Petaline. Rick will be cozied up to his choice of girls. For three days. Time for her to do her work with the child. Time for him to vent his lusts. To relax. For us both. Fresh air, true gravity, interesting work for her, running and hunting for Dog."

Riddick took a deep breath and nodded his understanding, "You don't ever. Ever. Gotta do anythin' you don't wanna. Not for me. Not ever. You get me Kitten?" He knew his voice was more a growl than a murmur but she didn't seem to mind. Her scent grew warmer, more affectionate and she patted his cheek and then his chest with her soft hand.

"This is why she wishes to keep him," She told him. "Petaline says you may have your pick of girls. Or they their pick of you." Kitten's smile turned wicked. "She suggests that you enjoy yourself. Nice room upstairs. Big bed for Rick to stretch out on."

He'd nodded and looked at Petaline. The Madame's gaze was more approving than he'd ever seen a woman look at him in his life besides the girl whose hand was patting his chest. "Helen, why don't you show Rick the room. Lil, you go 'long with 'em, that way you know where he is."

Kitten had chuckled and looked at the blonde, Helen he guessed, "Please lead on. Rick has been sleeping in a bunk that is not near long enough for him, and barely the width of his shoulders." That led to exclamations of horror and sympathy from the whores and the blonde began to lead them upstairs.

Riddick had looked at the room and his nose had twitched but the smell of old sex wasn't too bad. It looked like someone had changed the sheets recently. Kitten moved to a window and opened it, while untying the drapes so that the room was in twilight while he lingered in the hall with the women. He was amusing himself by running a finger over Helen's curves, teasing her a bit when his Seer came out of the room.

She looked at the whore, Helen and then at the other two who were standing with him in the doorway. One was the brunette he'd been eyeing before and the other had light brown hair if he had to guess. "Partner is not to be gossiped about. Prowess, stamina, practices...open for discussion but physical peculiarities..." Kitten gave a growl of her own. "Do not talk about my _bàng jiār_ to anyone."

That had unnerved the whores some but then she'd shoved him into the room and the girls one by one after him. He'd had no choice but to catch the whores or let them careen off him. The blonde had giggled as she'd remained in his arms, "So I'm Helen. And that's Lucy and Emma." She pointed to the brunette and lighter haired one respectively. The door thudded shut and he caught the sound of a wicked little giggle drifting back down the hall.

Riddick pressed his face to her neck and inhaled her scent, "Don't suppose there's a place I can wash up a bit? Ship don't exactly run to showers." He was so fuckin' randy it should be funny but he was a grimy from the lousy bathing facilities on the merc boat. No wonder Santana's crew had all smelled so bad.

"Why don't you let one of us help you with that," Helen offered with a smile. "All you gotta do is get undressed an' put any weapons you got in that chest by the bed."

"Learnt that one years ago. It don't lock but it ain't near the door, so's no one can get at 'em but you," Lucy, the brunette explained with a wry smile.

Riddick nodded and began to unlace his boots. Part of him, a small part that he really was going to ignore, wished that Kitten were here. Apart from the guarding his back part of it he wasn't going to think on why. The reason they were in a whore house in the first place was because his damn brain was fixating on her since she was the only female around him. He needed some new memories, ones of real women, not the Necro concubines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So here we are. What do you think? This story is probably going to be more character development than plot I think, though there will be bits of plot. I think honestly this might read more like the television series rather than a movie if that makes sense?
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> bàng jiār (partner)


	4. Lest It Should Burn Above the Bounds Of Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I do not seek to quench your love’s hot fire,  
> But qualify the fire’s extreme rage,  
> Lest it should burn above the bounds of reason.  
> \--Two Gentlemen of Verona, William Shakespeare

River looked up when Riddick's thoughts touched upon her and a smile curved her lips. Riddick was...well not quite a good man under all of his attitude but he was close enough to one that she was glad to have him around. Petaline was regarding her soberly and River sighed, "You can't tell Mal and the rest of the crew where I am, or even that I was here. It'll only bring trouble."

"Does your partner know?" Petaline asked sympathetically.

River shook her head, "He doesn't. I'm not ready to tell him. Eventually I will. He deserves the truth, all of it." She looked up at the room above them and smiled slightly. "Unused to working with others. Been on his own for a very long time. Hesitant to form attachments but he is trying. Partnership is new, but he is giving it his best despite his reservations. Very concerned for her welfare. Still trying to deal with civilization. In the form of a female partner. Poor man."

Petaline's laugh had been amused as only a woman could by over a man and she'd stood and opened the door to her rooms. "I'm glad he's tryin' for ya. He's protective, that's easy enough ta see. I won't say nothin' 'bout you to your old crew if they come callin'. Come see Jonah and how big he's gotten. He's awful smart. That's part of why I's so glad you're here. He's smarter'n me I think."

* * *

 

Jonah was very smart; his picture books weren't really enough to occupy him and he was putting puzzles together that were meant for children twice his age. He'd watched River as she'd put together a little intelligence test and laughed in pleasure when she'd presented it to him.

He was a great distraction from the waves of lust and sounds of passion coming from the room upstairs where Riddick was. River had gotten a pretty good idea from Riddick's memories and dreams that he was a man of healthy appetites but what she was hearing and feeling was extremely impressive. He could make Jayne look like a chaste shepherd. Well, almost, River amended her thought. But he made Mal and Simon seem like priests in comparison. The rest of the house seemed quiet in comparison to what came out of the room Riddick occupied.

Funny though, when Riddick dozed, his first thought when he woke was for her, where was she, was she all right? He remembered almost instantly afterwards where they were, why she wasn't sleeping in the bunk above him, but in the three days they'd been at the Heart of Gold his waking thoughts had been unvaried. First his Kitten, as he thought of her, and then Dog. He wasn't even really concerned about his own location, just that 'his' people were safe.

It had been an education, to be witness to his activities with the whores. And it had reassured her as to his character more than anything else could. He was not a man to hurt a woman in bed. One of the girls had encouraged a little light spanking and he'd obliged but apart from enjoying her reaction he hadn't cared for it much. The big convict seemed to love touching, loved having his mouth and hands on all those vulnerable parts. The sweet spots, in his mind, all the places that brought pleasure and death depending on how he touched. And he was being allowed to touch these women, encouraged to do so, to take them over and over. He'd spent almost three days sexing the girls, his appetite for their bodies incredible.

Some of the other whores had actually snuck in and offered service for free, once they'd heard their fellow employees and how much they were enjoying Riddick's attentions. The whores spoke glowingly over how careful he was with his strength, how gentle he forced himself to be until a girl wanted him to be rougher. None of the women he bedded even suspected he was a man wanted for murder. They were careful waking him, as River had cautioned them to be, if they were entering the room. Being in bed with him wasn't a problem, he wouldn't hurt a bedmate unless they did something hostile like put a knife to his throat but approaching the bed to wake him by touching him was dangerous. Thankfully the girls had dealt with enough soldiers that they understood why they should take precautions.

There had been a great deal of giggling about 'Rick' and his physical gifts but she'd heard no speculation about his eyes or the handprint on his chest. She'd seen it in his memories, glowing blue, but hadn't paid much attention to it when she'd helped bandage the wound in his side after Not Furya. Technically she wasn't even supposed to know about that. And Riddick had never given any explanation for it. Possibly he thought she'd just Read it if she wanted to know or he didn't want to talk about it. So far though, the whores were keeping any theories about his differences to themselves. There was also a lot of sighing over his enthusiasm and attention and how skilled he was. River grinned to herself. Riddick would certainly be welcomed back.

She could feel him waking now, the three girls he'd been spending time with sleeping in the big bed. Riddick had sated himself and now he was actively worried because he hadn't seen her in nearly three days. For all he knew someone could have been pushing their attentions on her, or she could be working herself to death to pay for his whoring while he lazed about and enjoyed himself. She could feel his concern and the decision that would stem from it.

Jonah was babbling in his half talk half baby gibberish about Dog and water and breakfast and River hoisted him up on her hip. She'd meet Riddick at the bottom of the stairs and take him to the kitchens.

Sure enough, her big partner was buttoning the slightly too large shirt over the handprint on his chest and frowning as he came down the steps. "Hey," His rumbling voice was quiet in deference to the mostly sleeping house. "How're you doin' Kitten?"

"Kitty," Jonah echoed his hand petting her braid with a giggle.

"I'm well," River smiled up at her big partner. "And you? Feeling more relaxed?"

His smirk was evil and he nodded, goggles still in his pocket, "Much more. Might even be tolerable for you to be around." Riddick's mind was considering her, the baby on her hip, how relaxed she looked herself and wondering if he'd been the cause of her tension.

"Rick should not worry so much," River shook her head at him. "I have had three days of space and open ground. Exercise and meditation. Able to spar, do katas. Feel so much better. Rick is relaxed, I am relaxed. Slept in a bed that had a mattress more than two inches thick and wider than two feet."

"Yeah," Riddick nodded as she led him to the kitchen and set Jonah down so he could find the bowl they'd been using for Dog's dish. "Startin' to think you got more'n a few points when you talk 'bout tradin' the boat in for a cargo ship."

"And it only took two months," River rolled her eyes. "Finally, he sees reason."

"Don' be pissy," Riddick pointed the tip of a shiv at her. He was currently using it to slice ham while River cubed up some protein and bits of ham for Dog's breakfast. Jonah brought her the bowl and stared up at her pleadingly.

River sighed, "Not being pissy Rick. Merely was growing impatient with his pretense of the dull brain. Rick acts _daì ruò mù ji_." When he gave her a look that could only be described as dim witted she rolled her eyes. "And her point is made conclusively. Talk about it later. Saucers and pitchers." She nodded meaningfully at Jonah who was holding the bowl for Dog's breakfast.

"Dunno why I'm gettin' so set on you stickin' around," Riddick growled to himself as she pushed the cubes of food into the bowl. "But I am."

River smiled at him, "She can keep up with him." She touched his arm and handed him the bowl Jonah gave her. "Jonah is allowed to watch while Dog eats. But he is not allowed to touch. Jug of water by the front door to refill Dog's bowl. He is chasing prairie dogs. Will need you to whistle for him."

Riddick had chuckled and nodded, "All right. C'mon kid, we're gonna feed Dog. But he'd snap up a morsel like you in a heartbeat so you stay at my knee. Got me?"

Jonah nodded and looked at River curiously. "No Kitty?"

"Not today," River shook her head. "Kitten has to leave today. Rick and Dog too. A few things left to show you though."

"Yeah!" Jonah's happy shout brought a blink of surprise to Riddick's face and he sent her a quizzical look before he headed towards the front porch with the food for Dog.

River began to make breakfast and it wasn't long before Riddick was headed back into the kitchen, Jonah on his heels talking excitedly about Dog and the prairie dog he'd caught and the blood on Dog's face. River rolled her eyes and looked at Riddick, "Dog has been earning his food by killing the rodents and rabbits that feed off the garden here." She explained with a half-smile. "Petaline and her boys have been skinning the things. She's going to give us half of them, along with the meat she's dried. I told her you're good with skins and hides."

Riddick nodded slowly, and she'd Read in his mind that he was wondering exactly where they stood now. How should he behave around her? How far back had his behavior set her? Predictably when he spoke it had nothing to do with what he was thinking. "That'd be good. That last planet, had autumn comin' on. My blood's hot but you'll need a good coat, set a gloves."

She set a plate in front of him, piled high with protein and real food and another in front of Jonah before making a plate for herself. Riddick ate quickly, neatly, without any wasted motion or wasted food. He ate like a man who was used to his food being taken away for infractions, like someone who'd had to miss more than a few meals. When he'd finished River was still working on her breakfast but she stood to get him more and he waved her back down. "I can handle dishin' up another helpin'," He told her with rough courtesy. "Never expected ya to wait on me."

He was talking of more than breakfast. He'd never expected her to choose him, to stay with him on planet, to defend him when he'd been wounded. In his experience people looked out for their own hides first. But she'd stayed. She'd sent him up with Dahl first. She'd chosen to fly with him rather than the mercs. And maybe that had been due to her hatred of mercs and her lack of trust in that profession as much as it had been her belief in him, but she'd still chosen him. She'd proposed they be partners but he'd been dragging his feet for two months.

It could still go wrong. He was thinking of all the ways things could go bad. Something from her past or his, rearing its ugly head to fuck with them. He might do or say things that would put her back up, make her want to leave. And it wouldn't be the first time someone had left his ass. Even Kyra, she'd left him for dead on Crematoria, taken her chances with the Necromongers rather than hide out with him a little longer and trust that he'd keep her alive. Or Kitten could drive him so crazy he'd want her to leave. Though he really couldn't figure anything she'd do that would make him that nuts. She'd called it after all. She could keep up with him. The first person he'd ever met who truly could.

"She would like Riddick to consider being her ally," Kitten's soft voice broke into his thoughts. "Many things could go wrong. But she would like the chance. If it goes badly, then she will let him have the new ship. She will find her way. If he will only put her down somewhere she can find work. She makes it a promise." She watched him closely and felt his irritation that she was weighing the odds so heavily in his favor. He liked favorable odds but not at the expense of someone who'd had his back.

"Fuck that noise," Riddick snarled. "We're partners it's an even split. It goes sour, we sell the gorram ship, we split the take an' we go our separate ways. Only thing I'll take that you don't is Dog."

River nodded, "Then we have a bargain." She smiled at him and ate some more breakfast. "Should set course for Beylix after this. Could find a good boat there. Used shipyards."

"Long's its somethin' don't take a genius to fly," Riddick nodded his agreement as he ate and handed the jar of jam over to River when Jonah stared at it longingly, his little hand sneaking towards it.

"But the girl is a genius," River giggled at him and Riddick grinned in return.

"But I ain't," He reminded her.

"Promise. Her partner will be able to fly the boat," She nodded solemnly and his smile gentled.

"Just don' wanna get left," He murmured.

River closed her eyes as someone else saying words similar rang through her mind, 'It's cold out there, an' I don' wanna get left'. She shuddered and a large, warm hand rested on her shoulder. Comfort and affection spread through her at Riddick's touch.

"Kitten? Ya'll right?"

River opened her eyes and looked up into that beautiful silver gaze. "She will be," She promised with a deep breath. "She will be." His concern wasn't for a child who needed protection or a weak woman who'd been abused. He truly saw her as someone equal to himself, and with that came the understanding that she, like him, had a past that still pained her. Memories could sneak up on them and wreak havoc with their peace of mind.

He nodded and let go of her as Petaline came into the kitchen. River smiled as the Madame exclaimed over her son and the rest of the house began to wake up. Petaline smiled at them both, "I expect ya'll to come back soon. But before you go, the girls mentioned that ship of yours doesn't run to showers. Rick, you grab what you need, let your partner here show you the bathhouse. It ain't much but it's got soap an' hot water and you can scrub yourselves good before you head back out to the Black."

Riddick groaned his appreciation, "Second best offer I've had today." He nodded and took his plate to the sink.

"Cleans up after himself, girls said as much," Petaline murmured. "Well I wouldn't kick him out of bed neither."

River giggled and kissed Petaline's cheek, "Apparently your girls wouldn't either." She put her plate next to Riddick's and patted his arm, "If Jonah will come with me, we will have our last lesson while we guard Rick's back."

* * *

 

There was something that had bothered him from the minute he'd seen her geared up for battle. And it had gnawed at him even more once he'd seen the way she fought. Now he knew she'd fought Reavers, taken on a bar room full of men without weapons and he had to ask. "Kitten, you don't gotta answer if you don't want," He began, and her gaze flew to his face, her head tilted thoughtfully. She was Reading him he guessed, which would tell her how long this question had nagged at him.

"Wondered when his curiosity would get the best of him," She nodded for him to continue.

"I've seen you fight. Fought with you, sparred and fought beside you. And I just can't figure it." He shook his head, "How'n the hell'd Santana even get close enough to take you. You took out a bar full of men and you didn't even have a gun or shiv. What happened that they were able to snatch you up?"

"Perhaps she was overconfident," Kitten spoke slowly. Her scent was thoughtful, but pained, and he was half sorry he'd brought it up. "Thought to spring the trap, away from _Serenity_." She rubbed her temple, "Since the Academy, drugs… have bad effects on the girl's physiology. Painkillers, smoothers, they drag her under the surface of the ocean and open her to all the waves."

He frowned, that would be something to keep in mind if she ever got badly hurt. "Topical stuff do the same? Numbing agents and shit like that?"

She shook her head, "Drugs in the bloodstream are the difficulty. Topical…that is temporary. Nothing to deal with how the mind perceives sensation or stimuli."

"Right," He nodded. "So Santana and his crew drugged you?"

"Smoke bombs, when they saw she was armed," Kitten pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Knock out gas. Illegally obtained, used by lawmen and purplebellies. No intentions to use them until they saw she was armed. Reluctant to come close. Collapsed on the pavement. Last thing I saw was…Diaz…"

"Killing your brother," Riddick realized and shook his head. " _Tiān shā de_ mercs." He stood and grabbed one of the blankets, wrapping it around her and rubbing her back through the fabric. "Gasses, drugs, they don't do much to me. So I won't let that happen again. You fall, I won't leave you behind."

She smiled at him and nodded, her scent lightening some as she pulled her seat closer to the cortex and beginning to key something in. Which reminded him of another question, an easier one for her to talk about he figured. And a decent change of subject. He turned to look at Dog who was gnawing on a bone the size of his forearm and then turned back to his little Kitten. "So what sorta lessons were you givin' the kid anyway?"

She smiled at him, her eyes brightening with enthusiasm, "Created an educational program for him. Showed him how to access it. Showed Petaline how to choose new topics of study. Also showed the girls and boys there more about weapons, how to maintain them. Fixed the well pump. Faulty washer. And did some programming work, mostly accounting for Petaline. We will be welcome back anytime."

He was busy calculating exactly how long that must have taken her and feeling more than a little irked with himself. "So you were working nonstop while I was..."

"Fucking his way through half Petaline's whores?" Kitten giggled at him and he half grinned at the sound. He didn't mind her laughing at him if it cheered her up some. "No, Riddick is silly. She was having fun too. Deal with Petaline was to help with the accounting program, teach it to her, and evaluate Jonah's intelligence, help her figure out a program for him. Did that the first day. The rest was to build credit. And for fun. Teaching others stretches her own abilities, creates new levels of understanding."

He was never going to understand this woman, Riddick thought to himself. "It didn't bother you none? Hearin' all that?" He gestured at his head and then hers meaningfully.

"No," Her braid danced as she shook her head a gentle smile on her lips. "Your mind isn't like the mercs. You don't see women as things. Never saw me as a thing. I'm Kitten. They were Helen, Lucy, Emma, Tansy and Jane. And Petaline and Jonah. Lust isn't..." She shrugged at him. "Riddick's lust didn't...scare me on planet. Wasn't completely at ease but couldn't fear you. Knew you wouldn't hurt me like that. Didn't ever see me like they did. Unwilling is untouchable in your eyes. To most men, unwilling is a challenge."

"Most men are pigs," Riddick shrugged though part of him, a very large part of him, was relieved she didn't find anything to fear in him in that regard.

"You will not find the girl in disagreement," Kitten told him dryly. "We have options. Another job, this one for theft of five crates of wobbly headed dolls, delivery to Beaumonde. Or go to Beylix and find a boat."

"Crates fit in the hold?" Riddick looked back where the cyro nets used to be.

"Yes," His little partner nodded. "He wishes to have ready cash in case we find a boat that needs work?"

"Thinkin' that ain't a bad idea," Riddick nodded.

"Then I will wave our acceptance of the job," Kitten was grinning with pleasure. "The wobbly headed doll caper is a go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So they've come to an accord. Good for them right? And we've answered a question some folks raised when during Chains about how River could possibly be captured. I had that in mind all along but it wasn't as if the two of them got much chance to talk before they took off from Not Furya. A few more chapters and we'll run into Serenity's crew. But we've got a few things to do first. Hope you're all having fun.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> daì ruò mù ji (dumb as a wooden chicken)
> 
> Tiān shā de (goddamn)


	5. With All My Imperfections On My Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unhouseled, disappointed, unaneled.  
> No reckoning made, but sent to my account  
> With all my imperfections on my head.  
> \--Hamlet, William Shakespeare

River brought herself back to the present as she heard the muttered cursing and thump of weights in the exercise room. Riddick's mind was tinged with lust, thoughts of her, of the women he'd spent time with, Petaline's whores in particular. He liked visiting them, liked that she had a friend to talk with and Dog was used to Jonah now.

"Next time we will have to visit Petaline," She murmured to him as she entered the room. "But I know a place on Persephone that is safe for you. Remember it from an old crewmate's visits." They hadn't ever had occasion to visit the whorehouse here but Jayne had thought with pleasure on the girls and Madam and how they could be discreet about someone's whereabouts.

"Just gettin'...itchy." Riddick offered in his slow thoughtful way. River smiled. He didn't like to admit weakness and needing a whore so that he didn't do something to scare her was a weakness in his mind. He was such a male.

"Just as other men do," She offered as she picked up a smaller weight and began to raise and lower it as he'd showed her months ago. She'd been slowly increasing the amounts and repetition of motion in order to build muscle. Riddick's knowledge of anatomy could rival any doctor she'd met and he'd been adamant that slow and steady was the way to go. She could feel his concern for her, over how slender she still was and knew he worried that she was working too hard to gain weight in a healthy fashion.

"I ain't other men Kitten," He growled in annoyance at the thought. "If I can go five years 'thout a taste I shouldn't have trouble after six weeks."

River shrugged at him, "He could always get rid of his partner. No problems then." His growl of fury at the suggestion and killing glare made his feelings on that quite clear. River giggled, "Three hours to Persephone. She will shower and then Riddick should wash. We will visit the Brothel first. She will get supplies while Riddick is occupied. Still have thirty-nine hours before we report for the job."

"Well go on then," Riddick rolled his eyes. "I checked our course. We'll get the alarm buzzin' half an hour out."

"Aye aye cap'n," She saluted him sarcastically and headed for the shower.

* * *

 

Much as she loved the Black she couldn't wait to get dirtside and start a load of wash. They'd both always made certain they had at least one clean set of clothing for when they went on a job but it was nice to have a choice of more than one pair of pants and one shirt. Neither of them had really large wardrobes and it paid to take care of what clothes they did have. They'd both learned to do basic mending but neither of them was expert at repairs. And once fabric wore through it was fit only for cleaning rags.

River scrubbed at her skin as quickly as she could and hopped out of the shower. Ship facilities were never luxurious and in the Black it was more important to conserve water than it was to smell like a rose. They'd worked out a fairly regular schedule though and agreed that due to Riddick's sensitive nose and her ability to feel his irritation that washing was important.

It had been a little funny actually, when they'd agreed to a partnership, they'd both laid out all the things that they knew would bother them. Noises, smells, foods they knew they hated and problems they'd had on other ships. Riddick had more to contribute to that conversation, but River had tentatively brought up something that she wasn't sure Riddick would think of.

* * *

 

"This ship…holds too many memories for me to be truly comfortable here," She'd told him quietly. "When we find a new ship, I…don't want it to be anything like this one." She hadn't been able to help wrinkling her nose in distaste at what she saw when she looked around the merc ship.

"Comes to that I don't care for this boat much either," He'd admitted. "Not for the kinda life we're trying for. Out of cryo." He hadn't spoken much about how great of a change it would be for him but she could feel his eagerness to not be confined to six square feet. They were tripping over each other on the merc boat and while he wasn't used to anything else, he was very curious about how much space they could have and how comfortable they can make it.

"Yes," River had looked around the boat with a frown of distaste. "I…when the mercs were here it was difficult for me beyond their use of me. It was a constant barrage of smells and voices. No privacy, no respite from all of the men."

"Yeah, that'd get irritating," Riddick had nodded and she'd Read that he believed he understood but he didn't.

"I need to know that you would let me keep my own space," She said finally. "That if I go into a room that's mine you won't enter without permission unless it's an emergency." River looked at him cautiously and he'd simply been watching her, his nostrils flaring, Reading her mood through his senses just as she Read his with her mind.

"You need someplace to know you're safe," He said finally when he'd considered all the possible meanings of her words and what she'd been dealing with when she'd been with the mercs and now with him. "You trust me but you need to learn to sleep alone again. They were a threat, and I'm safe and reassuring, but you need to not hear anything and still know you're safe."

She had nodded helplessly, "Without the scent of men, without the sounds." River remembered how much trouble she'd had articulating what she needed. She'd gone without language, without expressing her own feelings for so long she'd been out of practice. A genius brain couldn't always compensate for painfully learned habits. "Can smell you, and Dog. Comforting and frightening both."

"Gotcha," Riddick nodded. "We find a boat and we'll set up your room after the bridge and the engine room. Something with a couple a good locks. One condition though."

She'd felt irrationally worried but nodded for him to continue. And Riddick had surprised her again, "I need to get in. If you're havin' a nightmare, if there's a problem with the engines. I need to know I can get in. Same with my bunk when we set it up."

River had smiled at him, so pleased he'd even thought of what she'd need beyond her own demands. "A code, especially for crewmates. Set to open all doors. No locks between partners. Only for strangers. So that if he is needed she may wake him as well. But they will prepare both of their rooms at once. She will not take precedence over her partner. Not even in this." He hadn't been thrilled at that and she'd shrugged, "Would rather have our exercise area and common spaces of the ship fixed up. Private rooms aren't as needful as places to blow off steam."

"All right," He'd nodded his agreement finally and they'd gone on to discuss other things.

* * *

 

River rubbed herself dry and hung the towel over the shower door. It would dry enough that Riddick would be able to use it when he washed. The towels had been cheap because according to the manufacturer the pattern was backwards. And grey wasn't a particularly girly color to her mind, even if it did have an arabesque pattern to the weave. He'd teased her at first about using her pretty girly towels but since they both used the same soap it wasn't as if he was going to end up smelling like flowers.

That had been something she'd had to be very careful about. Riddick's sense of smell was extremely acute. She couldn't wear perfumes or heavy lotions. It had taken six months of searching for her to find a lotion that didn't offend his nose. The first time she'd tried to wear perfume he'd made such a face that she'd thought he would be ill.

* * *

 

"Geh," He'd reared back like an offended cat when she came near him. "What did you do? Smells…" Riddick had sneezed convulsively and Dog had imitated him.

"Perfume…" She might as well have told him manure for all the sympathy he'd had.

"Of what? Stinkbugs?" He'd been moving cargo around the bay and not flying the ship, which was the only mercy the 'Verse had on her.

"Flowers," She'd frowned. "She'll wash it off." River had felt her stomach twisting and a heavy feeling in her chest as she'd backed away from him. She'd finally gotten a little extra money, found the perfume on sale and only dabbed a fingertip of it on her wrists and neck. She'd known that too much wouldn't be pleasant. She'd only wanted to feel like a girl again, to feel as if she had the potential to be pretty. She hadn't realized it would be so offensive to him and Dog.

When she'd come out of the head Riddick had been waiting in the galley and took a cautious breath, "You smell better." He'd remarked. "What'd you spend on it?"

"Half a plat," River frowned and began to take out the protein and spices to make a simple meal.

"I'll pay you back for it," He fished into his pocket and put the money on the table. "It didn't smell like flowers. It smelled like chemicals and rubbing alcohol and something wilted."

"Oh," She hadn't touched the money. "Do cosmetics smell bad as well?" The Reader thought it best to ask before she invested in any makeup.

"Some of it does," The big convict had shrugged at her. "I gotta get used to some things. Like when we go out, I'm prepared for the scents."

"How do you ignore it on the whores?" She'd avoided looking at him and he'd inhaled again and frowned at her.

"I know what I'm getting with a whore," Riddick said flatly. "You...I don't know what to expect. Like now. You smell like I just told you that your face was like a pig's ass."

"Used to wear make-up. Perfume and pretty clothes," River shrugged indifferently. "Trying to feel like a woman again without irritating her _bàng jiār_. Didn't feel like a real girl for a long time. An experimental subject. A weapon in girl's skin. Became the protector and finally was a real girl, a woman. Mercs took that away, tried to make me a thing again."

"Shit," Riddick muttered. He appeared to think for a moment as he pulled out Dog's food and gave the animal his bowlful. "How about next time you go shoppin' for girl stuff I come along?" He'd been watching her carefully, measuring her response. "It'll get me used to the smells and I can let you know if something smells really bad to me."

"Acceptable compromise," She'd nodded. "Perhaps something oil based or an extract, not based on alcohol?"

"Might work," The Furyan had agreed, a bit cautiously, and they'd gotten on with putting together their midday meal.

* * *

 

That had led to a careful perusal of cosmetics, perfumes and hair products. She'd taken the opportunity to investigate Riddick's preferences as to soaps and shampoos as well. Anything that washed off and had a neutral scent didn't seem to bother him. They'd both decided on cleansers that were fairly odorless and stocked up on them whenever they were near a cheap supply. Soap, shampoos, conditioners and cleaning supplies, they'd dedicated an entire cabinet in the laundry nook for those things.

She'd ended up with cosmetics that had the barest hint of scent to them. Riddick had expressed profound thanks that she wasn't interested in coating her face with creams and concealers. He'd been the one who found the creams and lotions for her skin and feet. Products that had organic ingredients, easy for those on Harvest and Hera to make but expensive in the Core. Shipboard air tended to be dry and skin would grow cracked or itchy without proper care, especially a dancer's feet. And she'd discovered the treasure of Jasmine oil. Too much of it was worse than perfume but two fingertips rubbed into her hair when it was damp would create a scent that was pleasing. And yet it was still faint enough that it didn't make Riddick sneeze.

River shook her head as she hurried down the hall to her room. She and Riddick had the same size rooms but his was right off the galley and common area while hers was behind a locking door and down a hallway. He'd made some remark about there being a couple of locks between her and the main area of the ship.

Riddick had argued long and loud about having passenger quarters at all. He'd made it very clear that he didn't like the idea of strangers aboard their ship. Then there was the issue of the passenger dorms being off the same hallway as her room. He'd taken one look at the layout and been distinctly less than thrilled about that situation. He'd spent a full day trying to figure out a place to put her door so she'd be behind two locks against the passenger bunks. In the end the cost of moving the door made it impractical and he'd capitulated grudgingly.

She'd had to point out how unlikely it was that either of them would take on a passenger that was dangerous to them. Between his senses and her Reading they'd know if there was something off. And she'd remembered very well just how helpful passengers could be if money got tight. Of course, sometimes passengers were trouble, just not intentionally so. She knew that from personal experience. Not to mention that should there be an emergency it was best to have something set up for other people. Not having passenger quarters would raise eyebrows more than only having minimal quarters.

The Reader frowned and pushed that thought away. It had been a while since she'd been on Persephone and the approaching planet brought memories with it. Memories her partner knew nothing about. That was as it should be. She'd never asked Riddick about the people she'd seen in his dreams, his nightmares. She'd never asked about the girl-woman he'd lost. It would be unkind to ask about her when that loss was still a bloody wound on his heart.

He'd lost more than that girl-woman. His entire history was one of loss. He didn't need her troubles on top of his own. River pulled on her clothing and dipped her fingertips in the Jasmine oil before she rubbed them into her hair. She hadn't been able to wash it but getting it wet and brushing it out every other day worked fairly well. Another fact of shipboard life, long hair like hers took too much water to shampoo and condition it every day.

Riddick had told her that he didn't mind if she used more water than he did, but he had made enough concessions for her mental and emotional issues. She'd told him that a shampoo once every three days was fine, unless she got covered with mud, rinsing it the other days would suffice. He'd laughed at her and agreed that if they got covered in mud chances were the water allowances could be set aside. And then he'd looked at Dog and given him a warning about getting too dirty himself.

Winding her hair into its braid and then into a chignon was such a habit she didn't even need to think about it. She'd slipped on her weapon's harness along with her knives and guns before she'd pulled on her boots. A touch of shadow on her eyelids, kohl to line her eyes and a brush of blush over her cheekbones came after her boots. Her lips got a dab of tinted moisturizer and she was out the door.

As she'd thought Riddick was almost done with his workout, from the sound of his fists on the punching bag. "On the bridge," She spoke down the hallway towards the practice space. Riddick's ears were sensitive enough that a raised voice echoing off the metal walls was near torture for him. In the same way that he indulged her need for female things and controlled his thoughts, she made allowances for his eyes and ears.

"Dog's with you," Riddick called back. She heard the clack of Dog's nails on the flooring and held the door open for the big animal.

"Got him," River grinned down at Dog and walked past the arms locker to the bridge. "Daddy'll come fly with us soon so you can't sit in the chair," She told the big canine affectionately.

"Don't call me his Daddy," Riddick's voice echoed down the hall. "Told you, sounds fuckin' wrong."

She couldn't help the laugh that erupted from her lips. She loved teasing her huge partner about his large pet. Dog loved her but he adored Riddick. When Riddick came to the bridge Dog would inevitably try to climb into his lap. "But he loves his _Bà ba_ , don't you Dog?"

"He stomps on my balls again it's gonna be the last thing he does." Her partner had that happen once and Dog would never hear the end of it. River laughed and turned her attention to the console, double checking their course and the angle of entry into the atmosphere.

* * *

 

He was enjoying his half awake, half dozing state in a wide soft bed when he caught her scent. It wasn't easy over the smells of lavender and powder but for him it was instinct these days. He inhaled again, sorting through everything his senses told him. The lingering smells of sex in the air, sweat and cosmetics, soap and cheap perfume couldn't hide the presence of his partner. She was close and when a small hand slipped beneath the sheets and tugged on his big toe he chuckled roughly. "We late yet?"

Her laugh was sweet, amusement at familiar circumstances filling her voice. "We are not late, not just yet." She tugged on the sheet teasingly. "Must haul his carcass out of bed and come work."

Her voice was like her laugh, sweet and soft on his ears. Even angry Kitten's voice didn't rise to unholy shrieks. It was her voice, and her scent, that meant home for him these days. Dog wasn't much better than he was. Much to Kitten's annoyance in the past.

* * *

 

" _Yú chǔn zì jiāo de dà zi ròu_ ," Kitten's voice was an angry hiss. " _Jiān xié_. Stop doing that!"

Riddick woke up from his half doze and looked over the side of the bunk to see Kitten practically snarling at Dog. A blink to focus in on what Dog was doing and he understood, a chuckle escaping him involuntarily, bringing the little woman's angry eyes snapping to him. "He likes you." Riddick shrugged.

"He keeps stealing my pillow. And sleeping on it." Her voice was heavy with disgust. "He drools on it." She cast a scornful look at the dog. " _Liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi_. _Xiǎo huáng dì_."

"Of course he does." Riddick yawned.

"It's going to fall apart if I wash it anymore." She was glaring at Dog as if the big animal understood her ire. "Why does he keep doing this?"

The Furyan resigned himself to being awake a while longer. "He likes you." Her glare made him clarify with a sigh. Little woman could make Necros quail if she had a mind to. "He likes you, so he likes your scent. Your hair holds your scent the longest. You sleep on the pillow and your hair rubs against it. So your pillow's got the scent of your hair on it. When you're up and around he knows you're busy so he takes your pillow to sleep with. That way he's got your scent and he feels safe and happy and he's not bugging you."

Her mutter of _gǒu cào de gǒu niáng yǎng de_ wasn't flattering and he couldn't be sure if she was referring to him or Dog. He hadn't known many curses in Chinese until he'd taken up with her and she was rapidly expanding his cussing vocabulary. She took a deep breath and shook her head before tugging the pillow away from Dog. "She will leave you the pillow case." She told Dog in a stern voice. "She must wash the pillow but Dog may have that. We will work something out so that you are happy. But you must not steal the pillow. You will chew on it and be sick and neither of us will like that."

Riddick rolled his eyes. "Great. I can go back to sleep?"

"Yes Riddick, by all means, sleep. But you and I are switching bunks tomorrow. I'll give him the pillowcase but I draw the line at him sleeping in my bed or taking the mattress." He could hear her glaring at Dog. "Because I know you _xiǎo huáng dì_. It is your _Bà ba's_ turn to deal with you and your thieving ways."

"Don't call me his Daddy," Riddick grumbled half asleep. "Sounds _cào dàn_ wrong." He'd half remembered a saying he'd heard a few years back, 'could take the pitchfork away from the devil if she got mad at him'. It described Kitten to a T.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Now we're on Persephone. Wonder who we'll meet here? I'm trying to balance these early chapters with flashbacks and their current lives rather than load the first few chapters with information.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> bàng jiār (partner)
> 
> Bà ba (Dad, pops, daddy)
> 
> Yú chǔn zì jiāo de dà zi ròu (stupid inbred sack of meat)
> 
> Jiān xié (crafty and evil / a treacherous villain)
> 
> Xiǎo huáng dì (lit. little emperor / fig. spoiled child / spoiled boy / pampered only child)
> 
> gǒu cào de (dog-humping)
> 
> gǒu niáng yǎng de (son of a bitch (lit. "raised by a dog mother"))
> 
> cào dàn (fucking)
> 
> Script Chinese Translations:
> 
> Liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi (script- Stupid son of a drooling whore and monkey)


	6. There Is Nothing Left Remarkable Beneath the Visiting Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, withered is the garland of the war.  
> The soldier's pole is fall'n! Young boys and girls  
> Are level now with men. The odds is gone,  
> And there is nothing left remarkable  
> Beneath the visiting moon.  
> -Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare

He half grinned at the memory and mentally began to gear himself up to get out of bed and work. It still held true, if Kitten got too angry she could scare the faith out of a Necro commander and the devil had better hang onto his pitchfork. He enjoyed the mattress for a moment more before stirring himself. He wasn't normally lazy but it was a pretty good bed. Riddick ran a hand over the hip of the woman in bed with him, Loralee she'd told him was her name, and opened his eyes cautiously. Thankfully Kitten had made sure the drapes were closed against the half light of the afternoon. Building shadows kept the sun from glaring too brightly but a badly slanted shaft of light could still cause him a lot of pain.

Kitten was sitting on the metal railing at the foot of the bed, her dark eyes twinkling at him. "Partner must wake...we will eat and then go to work. Noodle place down the street. Very good ramen."

He growled his objection to getting out of bed even as he began to pull the sheets back and climb off the mattress. To his amusement Kitten looked the other way. She was funny like that. He could care less if she saw him or not, but she always gave him his privacy. Except when her curiosity got the better of her, like now when her eyes eased back to see his naked backside. He guessed she hadn't gotten a lot of opportunities to examine men without something pretty bad happening afterwards. So he didn't begrudge Kitten her little peeks. And it stoked his ego some that she wanted to look. He might never get to touch her but it wasn't because he was a completely ugly bastard.

Once he was finally dressed Loralee was rolled on her side and watching him with a lazy smile on her face. She was a very curvy, woman, hair a bit lighter than Kitten's and a round face with cheerful eyes. He grinned at her, "You okay?"

She nodded, "Sugar, you come back and see me any time. Your little partner can even watch if she wants." She cast a flirtatious glance at Kitten.

Riddick glanced at Kitten who was blushing. "That'd be up to her, but thanks for the thought." He smirked teasingly at Kitten who threw him a look that should have eviscerated both him and Loralee before she rolled her eyes and left the room. The look was only spoiled by the blush on her cheeks. How a woman who could read his mind without a qualm, kick the ass of any one he'd met, keep up with him and survived mercs, could blush still was a mystery but it always tickled him half to death.

Kitten was leaning against the wall outside when he came out, hood up, guns and shivs in place. "You don't want whores to invite you for a romp, maybe don't go in their bedrooms Kitten." He offered in a half apology. He didn't generally say he was sorry, but he didn't like the scent of her discomfort.

"Had to wake you up. The Madam would have let you sleep the day away and charged you for it." She gave him a half smile and changed the subject.

* * *

 

The noodles were good. And discussing the job one last time was a good idea. Of course it wasn't the usual type of job for them. It wasn't often they got paid to go in and remove someone who'd engaged in a hostile takeover. Quite literally, which she'd said when they took the job, and he hadn't understood until she'd explained.

Kitten had chuckled at the terminology and told him about businesses that had their stocks bought up by rivals, forcing the old guard out, and that was called a hostile takeover. Less bloodshed, same effect. "So the guy who actually owns the building and the business, he doesn't have his own muscle?"

Her shrug was lazy, "Probably does, has in the past. But if he wants to hire us, why not take his money? Not as if we cannot do the job. He treats the job as an audition. If it goes well, he has his business back. And then he has new muscle to call upon for the right price, brains to go with it, and he does not weaken his organization. Shows strength, protecting what he has while taking back what has been stolen without further risk to his own people."

Riddick nodded slowly, still trying to figure the angle. "We're sure we're not being used as a hostile takeover by the guy hired us to do the job?" He'd seen that happen before, people who were hired to 'rescue' some person and it turned out they were the ones kidnapping them. He doubted Kitten would fall for that but it was still a question that had to be asked.

She considered and pulled out her databook, fingers darting gracefully over the screen. "Good question...man has been known to be ruthless and not entirely honest in his dealings prior to this. Looks out for his own skin before anyone else's. Very insistent upon 'mine', much like someone else." Her dark eyes flicked over him pointedly.

"So stands to reason we do another check on the job." Riddick nodded, ignoring her comment on his possessive ways, and signaled for another serving of noodles and 'chicken' dish. "And bring her some of those almond cookies." He nodded at his little partner. Sometimes the noodles were better than the protein that went with them the second time around but you couldn't have everything. Kitten had a fondness for sweets and while it was possible she deserved to indulge. Almond cookies were generally a safe bet.

Kitten was frowning over her screen now as she continued eating her ramen and from her scent she'd found something interesting. As the question formed in his mind she looked up at him with a half-smile. "Evidence suggests that the Madam, rather than being a victim, has conspired with the 'new management' to take over the place."

"Yeah," He considered that for a moment. "Could explain how they knew when to hit. Night of the cash pickup to the quarter hour. But before the pickup crew got there. That's cutting it tight."

She nodded her agreement, "Notes from our employer show that a call was made, suggesting that there'd been an incident, delaying the cash out process. One of the employees in charge customer management had been hurt. Customer had to be thrown out."

"How'd he get hurt if all the customers gotta disarm?" Riddick frowned over that. "Sounds like someone either got sloppy or something else went wrong on purpose."

"Inclined to think that there was no such incident and the employee was injured by the madam." Kitten shook her head. "Sending a text wave to inquire about any other unusual occurrences before the takeover."

Riddick's noodles and Kitten's almond cookies arrived while they were awaiting the return wave and they dug in, Kitten stealing some of his noodles, her chopsticks as agile as her shivs. When he growled at her playfully she just grinned at him, the picture of innocence before putting one of her cookies near his mug of tea. Her databook beeped the incoming notice just as he was winding the last of the noodles around his chopsticks and Kitten was eating her cookies.

Kitten regarded the text thoughtfully. "Our employer says they took on a couple of new whores. One of them was very quiet on her history. Not completely unusual but he can normally learn something and this one was as a tabula rasa. He wonders if she was a plant to help the plot along. Cannot be certain. He believes she was forced into the life. Might have been willing to help her out of it again, if she'd asked, let her earn some other way. Believes that women and men may do what they like with their bodies but it must be as they like. Part of why his houses are popular. Does not employ the unwilling."

"Well he sounds like a paragon," Riddick shook his head in disbelief.

His partner chuckled dryly and shook her head. "Hardly. Just believes in good business first. Unwilling whores make for bad business, turning to drugs or alcohol and giving poor service. Slippery, treacherous _hún dàn_. To make trouble for him...is to make trouble for ourselves. Plays for keeps. But for those who keep similar codes he is easy to deal with. Does not like weather vanes, changing with the wind. Values constancy. Reliability."

"Can understand that." The Furyan nodded slowly. "Must end up with plenty of folks who try to slip out of their deals." He knew the value of people keeping their word himself. It had been a long time since anyone had honored a deal with him. Kitten always had, for as long as he'd known her, she'd told him the truth, if not all of it, and kept her word when she gave it. And Johns had as well...barring a few minor incidents. But it hadn't been entirely his fault Riddick had ended up with a hole in his side for a while.

Kitten slanted an amused glance at him, obviously Reading his thoughts, "Daddy Johns will keep his word to lock you up next time he sees you. At least he will try."

He shrugged his indifference to that little fact. "'Try' bein' the operative word." He nodded at her databook. "So I'm tryin' to figure how this changes the way we do the job."

"Have been considering that." The Reader nodded. "Think the original plan still works. Partners go in, Riddick chooses a whore...must try to choose the one who is the plant." She took a moment to show him the picture they'd been sent over. "If she's not available...anyone will do. Act as if socializing is part of the dance, drink, fondle..."

"Yeah we've got the layout of the place. And it's not like they can change the building up too much." Riddick was considering the plan. "They got rid of the old enforcers. So we take out the new ones and grab the Madam, get her and the new 'management' wrapped up. Send the wave for the troops to come in and take over again. Hostile takeover thwarted."

"Riddick will end up causing a commotion and the girl will use her cortex to short out the cameras, leave the 'security' office blinded. That is where the head of the snake will be." Kitten grinned at him. "It will be fun."

* * *

 

River smiled slightly as her partner put on his 'big man of very little brain' act the moment they came within sight of the target building. The act didn't even impede his poking and teasing about the plan and scheduling they'd agreed upon. "I've piggybacked their wireless signal, and I've got control of the cameras." She reported as she tucked her hand into his elbow. "Once we're inside I'll need fifteen minutes to take over their systems."

"You know it won't really take you that long," Riddick's amusement at her conservative estimates never ceased. "I'll give you ten."

"Fifteen in case combat is required _bàng jiār_." She reiterated, and he growled in annoyance but didn't argue the scheduling anymore.

"You get into a fight without me an' I'm gonna get mad and have my sensitive feelings all hurt and bruised." Riddick retorted with a half grin as they approached. "Ain't fair to leave me out of a fracas."

River rolled her eyes. "I hate the tortoise brain act. So annoying to hear you talk like an apeman gone wrong thing." She flicked her fingers over the device in her pocket and was rewarded with a blink of the camera on the door. "Systems test confirms we're green."

"Well, let's be heroes then." Riddick grinned at her wickedly and pushed open the door.

* * *

 

What followed was less of a battle and more of a heist or finely constructed con game. Riddick played the big, lusty gunhand while she spoke with some of the boy whores, flirting delicately and pretending to enjoy the conversation while both of them took in the only slightly altered layout of the parlor. It was a two-story building, set up like a saloon and brothel, with the entertainment and offices on the first floor while the bedrooms were up on the second floor.

The main room took up two stories with a balcony wrapping around the whole thing so clientele could have quieter conversation at the upstairs tables as opposed to the rowdy joking and games on the first floor.

River exchanged glances with her partner once they'd gotten settled in their places, the dim lighting actually helping Riddick spot the cameras while she identified the likely places for a cortex feed. There weren't many screens in the main parlor. Business being whores, it was preferred that folks spend the bulk of their time in the bedrooms.

Then Riddick bellowed across the room like the crude gun hand he was pretending to be. "Hey Lily, this 'un says they got baths."

River turned to the boy she was conversing with, a gentle smile and an apology for his manners on her lips. "I'm so sorry, he's...he means well. And he knows I've been dying for a proper bath. We don't run to such amenities on board our ship."

"Well if you'd like, one of us would be happy to escort you, perhaps you'd like to indulge in some company as well?" The towheaded boy couldn't have been more than twenty and made it clear when they'd entered that he had no preference in genders, either she or Riddick were welcome to spend some time with him according to their own inclinations.

Riddick had just grinned and patted his back in a rough but kindly fashion, using his best Rim accent. "Gorram, you's all sortsa polite ain'tcha? I don't go in for fellas, thanks anyway."

The boy, Tobias, he claimed his name was, had taken it in stride and River had caught the flicker of relief he'd felt that Riddick was as amiable as he was large. If he'd taken the offer the wrong way Riddick could have easily killed the slighter man with a well-aimed punch.

Now he was offering her his arm hopefully and River smiled. "I'd love a bath...I just...at the moment I'd like to relax and get cleaned up without anyone witnessing just how much of a mess I am."

Tobias gave her a surprisingly genuine smile. "I completely understand. Ladies do have their standards after all." When she rose and took his arm he guided her back to the bathing rooms and politely informed her of the rates and what sort of scents they had available and how long she could keep the room.

River kept her polite smile on her face until she was behind the closed door and then pulled out her cortex. Riddick was pretending to flirt with the girl they believed was the plant and the girl was doing her best to act interested.

Fifteen minutes later River was staring longingly at the tub while she waited for the crash that would signal the beginning of stage two. Two seconds after she'd thought of maybe just soaking her feet she heard the tell-tale crunch of someone's nose meeting the wall with excessive force. Riddick was nothing if not prompt.

There was a rush of feet past the door to the main parlor and the sound of a door slamming shut from the opposite direction, along with one last set of boots. Waiting a full ten seconds for the running to fade she left the bathing room and headed in the direction of the office/control/security room. It being locked took her another four minutes to get past, the combination of a coded lock and one requiring a key was the sort of redundancy she expected. That the room was occupied by the Madam wasn't exactly a shock either.

The bullet that tore past her arm and buried itself in the wall behind her was an irritant. Riddick hated when she got shot. Even gunshots that were little more than burns of a bullet shearing past her flesh were a great annoyance to him. It was like he took every scar she got after they partnered up personally. She was more irritated at the slice through the sleeve of her shirt. She'd have to mend it.

"Really shouldn't have done that." River told the voluptuous blonde as she strode forward and slammed her fist into the older woman's jaw. It rocked the Madam's head back violently, just as intended and the kick River aimed at her knocked the woman out.

It took less than five minutes to get the cortex programs back to where the rightful owner wanted them. A buzz at the backdoor and the proper passwords let in the reinforcements, not that they were needed from the quiet coming from the parlor.

River explained what she'd done with the cortex to the Madam that would be replacing the crumpled blonde on the floor before pushing her way out of the office. "Need to check on my partner and the rest of the folks here. Make sure all has gone according to plan. This _dǎ xiǎo suàn pán_ had no care for her people whatsoever."

Making her way down to the parlor she was greeted with the sight of the whores glaring at the line of men who were tied up and bore evidence of a very righteous beating. Her partner's face wore a grim smile and his mind was ruthlessly calculating the various ways he would enjoy making the men die. Making use of a whore's services was one thing. But even whores had the right to say no. For time to recover from a client who was rougher than they'd like or had expected. Apparently, the men of the new management didn't believe that.

"They are _è guàn mǎn yíng_ ," She commented quietly. "Are the employees all right for now?"

"Few of 'em say they'd like to have a bath, or a hundred, to feel clean again. Some of 'em need medical attention." Riddick told her. "Figure their boss is gonna arrange that." He nodded towards the girl he'd been flirting with. "She's definitely a plant. Wasn't willing on her part, just someone they'd use to get an idea of how the place is run and if the Madam was someone they could work with or if they'd have to get rid of her."

"Not like the Madam then, _wèi hǔ zuò chāng_. Not innocent but not guilty either." River sighed. "The boss will figure out what to do with her too. Doubt he'll keep her in this business."

"They need help with the cleanup?" Riddick looked at the bound men and then back towards the office.

"Don't think so but we can ask." River knew the minute Riddick smelt her blood because his mind went from lazily contemplating the death of the men to furiously needing to kill whoever had shot her. River sighed, " _Nǐ tā mā de tiān xià suǒ yǒu de rén dōu gāi sǐ_."

"Lemme see." He growled and took her arm more gently than anyone hearing his voice would have thought him capable of. "Who'n the _jiàn tā de guǐ_ did this to you?"

She sighed as he gently probed the wound, " _Méi yǒu shén me_. Please. Do not worry about it." She should have known better. It wasn't five minutes before he was demanding a bandage and proper cleansing aids, wrapping the 'wound' that was less than a scratch with a dressing and covering it with a bandage.

"Don't like you getting shot Kitten." He told her flatly. "We're partners. You get shot means I didn't do my job."

"And you getting hurt means I didn't do mine." She squeezed his hand gently. "But things happen. Especially to us."

"Doesn't mean I gotta like it." He groused.

"Well job's done now. Let's help with the clean-up and we'll go get our pay." River suggested with a smile. "Employer's name is Badger. You will like scaring him. But it won't be needed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So we're going to meet Badger next chapter. That'll be fun right? We'll meet some other folks who are familiar as well. I wanted for these two to have some jobs that were similar to the ones Serenity pulled and some that we never saw the crew doing. Regardless I think that with these two jobs would go a lot smoother. With two people there are fewer moving parts (so to speak) and they're both extremely intelligent. Having a Reader doesn't hurt either.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> hún dàn (bastard)
> 
> bàng jiār (partner)
> 
> dǎ xiǎo suàn pán (lit. to count on a narrow abacus (idiom); petty and scheming selfishly / concerned with petty interests / selfish and uncaring of the interests of others)
> 
> è guàn mǎn yíng (lit. strung through and filled with evil (idiom); filled with extreme evil / replete with vice / guilty of monstrous crimes)
> 
> wèi hǔ zuò chāng (to act as accomplice to the tiger / to help a villain do evil - idiom)
> 
> Nǐ tā mā de tiān xià suǒ yǒu de rén dōu gāi sǐ. (Fuck everyone in the universe to death.)
> 
> jiàn tā de guǐ (bloody hell)
> 
> Méi yǒu shén me(it is nothing / there's nothing ... about it)


	7. These Things, Come Thus To Light, Smother Her Spirits Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BEATRICE  
> Why, how now, cousin! wherefore sink you down?  
> DON JOHN  
> Come, let us go. These things, come thus to light,  
> Smother her spirits up.
> 
> -Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare

It had been something of a surprise to them both when the man who'd hired them recognized Kitten. She'd held up her hand to forestall any greeting and quickly explained that she was in hiding. "Well since we ain't ever met official-like I suppose whatever name you give me I can take as the God's honest," He'd agreed. "Lillian Alba's who I been doin' business with, an' her big partner Jon Richards. That suit?"

Kitten had nodded, relief in her scent, "Safer for everyone that way." She bowed politely and introduced the two of them, "Jon, this is Badger. Crafty businessman."

"I'd guessed as much," Riddick had nodded. "Kitten says you might have more work for us, if you're satisfied with how we handled this job?"

"I might do," The short man nodded. "First, payment." He handed over a bag and Kitten weighed it in her hand before tilting her head at him with a hard look. "Right. Shoulda known better than ta try an' fool ya." He handed over another bag and Kitten held them for a moment before checking the contents and passing them to Riddick.

"You always try to trick your contractors?" Riddick asked keeping his voice mild. He wasn't irritated, more amused that the man thought he could fool both of them.

"Nah, just the first time," Badger chuckled. "As it happens, I do have other work. Not at the moment but I will do. You two prove reliable be glad to throw it your way."

"We do not change with the wind," Kitten shook her head. "We take a job, we do it, we get paid."

"One way or the other," Riddick added with a meaningful look and a hand on his gun to emphasize the point.

"I like reliability," The little man took off his hat. "One thing to turn down a job, another to take it an' screw it up deliberate, do it half arsed, or decide you ain't gonna do it." He looked at them both, "You pull that with me and you're in deep Barney." Riddick gave him a look of incomprehension and the man elaborated. "Barney Rubble. Trouble." He clarified.

"Rhyming slang," Kitten murmured. "Frog and toad, road. Apples and pears, stairs. Bakers dozen, cousin." Riddick rolled his eyes but grinned, it had been years since he'd heard anything like that. "Might be there's jobs we turn down," Kitten pointed out to Badger. "Things we can't or won't do."

"You ain't got your nose in the air thinkin' you're better'n me like your old Captain," Badger seemed to be asking both a question and making a statement.

"Different," Kitten returned. "Different is different, doesn't make us better or worse. Just different." That got the man nodding thoughtfully.

"When'd you recognize Kitten?" Riddick wanted to know. "Even if you don't know her actual name, you recognized her. When?"

"Her face come across the wave," Badger shrugged pouring tea and offering the two of them some. "Knew I'd seen her. Then it come to me after I had 'nother wave from her old crew. The two come together in me mind."

"But you didn't say anything," Riddick regarded him thoughtfully.

"What'd be the point?" Badger offered a plate of sandwiches. "If she'd wanted me to know her name an' history she'd a said somethin'. Follows she didn'. Ain't any skin offa my nose she uses another name."

"An' you're not planning on telling her old crew about her," Riddick took a sip of the tea and grimaced, setting the cup down. Kitten hadn't touched hers though she'd taken a sandwich and nibbled at it to be polite he guessed.

"Nope. Not plannin' on givin' 'em even a scooby," Badger shook his head. "Scooby Doo, clue." He explained and leaned back against his desk. "Now let's talk 'bout the sorta job you two are open about doin'."

* * *

 

He smelled it before he saw her face. The sound of voices coming down Badger's hallway had sent such a spike of fear through her scent he'd growled and drawn his shivs before he even knew why. Badger had looked alarmed and started to shake his head, "They're gorram early. They're never early. By an entire _tiān shā de_ day!" He'd looked at Kitten, "I swear, God's honest, I didn't set you up."

"Have to go, have to leave," She whispered her eyes darting frantically around the room for an escape route. Those dark eyes brimmed over with fear, her slender pale hands shook, and she didn't even reach for a weapon. Everything about this just smelled wrong to him. Little woman wasn't ever like this on a job. Fear only made her grab her weapons and get set to fight. This reaction was worse than any nightmare she'd had, worse than the fear he'd smelled on her back on Not Furya. She'd been ready to throw herself out of Johns' boat and she hadn't smelt this horrified. The Animal was set to gut whoever caused this in his strong little Kitten.

But she was death white, plainly terrified and looking for a way out. The voices, a man's, light in tone and jovial, and a female's, flat and businesslike, came closer to the office. The man was speculating, "Badger oughta be pleased enough. No problems on the job. We get the goods sold, maybe pick up another job."

"So long as we don't take on passengers," The female replied in stoic tones. "Heard tell there were some problems on Whitefall though. Someone's been givin' Patience trouble."

"That woman has more lives than a cat," The man sounded both amused and irritated by his own words. The voices were too close now; Kitten's fear and pain was almost overwhelming him. He hated that smell in his nose; he could feel his blood boiling at the scent. After a year as her partner, her friend, to smell and feel her so terrified and have no idea what to do? He'd be happier if Reavers were coming at them. At least he could fight them. But this? He had no idea what was driving that scent off her skin.

"You got another way outa here," Riddick snarled at the short little Dyton native. "Or someplace she can hide?"

"Yeah she can-"

The source of the voices entered the room before Badger could do much more than get those three words out. Kitten was still shaking, she reeked of dread and pain and guilt, and the Animal inside him was going mad with it. He could feel it, as it clawed his insides, as it tried to break free and kill these people who threatened his woman. Riddick growled, instinctively putting his body between her and the people in the doorway. "You wanna live? Turn your asses around," He snarled at the tall man in a long coat and Amazonian black woman beside him.

"Dunno who you are but we got business here," The tall man shook his head, his hand on the grip of his gun in preparation for a fight. He moved farther into the room and halted, and his eyes widened. Riddick blinked behind his goggles as the man smelt of joy, relief, anger, and pain all at once. The woman beside him fairly blazed with anger and blame and Riddick growled at her.

"River?" The man was saying the word in a near broken tone and Riddick heard her breath hitch. He'd never smelt such misery coming off her before, not even when he'd first met her, when she'd been a slave. He shifted even more, hiding Kitten behind him, blocking her from the newcomers' sight.

"Dunno who you think you are, or who you think she is," His words were coming out as a snarling threat to anyone who would hurt her. "But Kitten is mine. An' you ain't takin' her."

"And you got no idea what you're travelin' with-" The woman's voice and expression were still flat, stoic and betraying nothing of what she felt. There was an underlying ugliness in the words though, like blood and piss hidden beneath leather and cotton. He didn't know what the woman meant apart from calling Kitten a 'what'. But the words hit Riddick's partner like a blow, the amount of pain in her scent seemed to double.

Kitten cried out behind him, babbling in Chinese so he could barely understand her, " _Huǐ zhī yǐ wǎn_." Her moan made his skin crawl, " _Tòng bù yù shēng, luò jǐng xià shí_. She cannot stay, cannot go, knives, in her brain, in her eyes, needles in her skin. _Shuǐ shēn huǒ rè_. Please, please let her go. _Āi yā shuǐ huǒ wú qíng_." Riddick could smell her desperation to escape; it stung his nose, the amount of pain she was in.

He had to keep his eyes on the interlopers, the ones whose mere presence had prompted her suffering. He didn't dare turn to be sure she was all right, "Kitten, you remember the cicadas? An' how they took Moss?" He prompted her memory and thought as forcefully as he could that she should go up through Badger's skylights. The sun was streaming in bright enough that he'd kept his goggles on even in Badger's office. There had to be a way out up there. He pushed his thoughts at her, reminded her of her strength, of how they relied on each other and that she could do this. Escape this place and get back to their ship.

"She remembers," Her whisper was shaky but he could smell the steel of her spine breaking through her fear. He could always count on her to find her spine no matter how bad a situation was, through any nightmare or mess of a job, Kitten was steely all through. The salt of her tears stung his nose, the pain was like a miasma rolling off her skin and drove his bloodlust hotter.

"I don't care how many knives you got. You got no rights to be sayin' 'Tross belongs to you," The tall man was scowling at Riddick now.

"Kitten?" Riddick ignored the irate man in front of him, prompting his little partner's reply. "What do you hear?" It had been early in their partnership that they'd decided to establish a phrase, a mnemonic to remind them both that they were partners. Memories had a habit of sneaking up on them both. He'd spent time as a pilot and she had experienced enough, first hand and through memories she'd Read and Seen, that the words had meaning to both of them. He repeated the phrase in as calm a voice as he could manage and smelt more of her spine and strength coming through her scent. "What do you hear?"

"Nothing but the rain," Her voice was trembling but growing stronger.

"Then grab your gun and bring in the cat," Riddick gave her the next line. The last was something they'd agree to improvise according to the situation. Her answer would give him an idea of whether or not she'd need help. It was rare that she did but occasionally it happened.

"Ready, steady…" Kitten's voice quaked on the first word but strengthened on the second.

"Go," He commanded in the hard growl that never failed to scare people, including everyone in Badger's office. All of them recoiled instinctively. Kitten was the one exception to that rule. He heard her climb Badger's desk, the little man muttering in surprised annoyance but otherwise quiet. Two seconds later the skylight opened overhead with a creak and Riddick relaxed slightly as he heard her slip out fast enough that the two people in front of him couldn't stop her. Kitten was light and quick and when she was motivated, as she was now, she could move faster than he could. Unless they planned on shooting her, there was no way for these two to catch his woman now. From the time he'd said go it had been less than a quarter of a minute for her to get out. Woman was fucking speed and grace wound up in silk and steel.

" _Liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi_ ," The man spat the words like they were poison. "Who do you think you are? You got any clue as to the nature of your foolishness here?"

Riddick hadn't bothered to sheath his knives, "My Kitten, she's scared, weren't happy to see you." He told them flatly, "Ain't ever heard her like that. She's mine. An' I'm hers. So the only person gets any words from me on this is her."

"She's our family," The tall man in the dark coat stepped closer to Riddick. "You got no right to keep her from us."

"She's that afraid a you; it gives me rights," Riddick had no words for what it had done to him, to smell, and practically feel, how afraid Kitten had been. The strongest woman he'd ever met, strong enough to keep him in line, and stubborn enough to stand up to him. She was without fear of anything he might do, but she'd heard this man's voice and nearly collapsed. She could look into his mind without horror or repugnance, match him in every way but this fool in his long coat sent her reeling with pain. He was ready to gut this son of a bitch and he didn't even know who the fuck he was. "Me an' her, we keep each other. Keep safe. You stay away." He warned them and gave the dark woman a hard look, "You got no clue what she's travelin' with. You wanna find out the hard way, you just keep comin'."

Something in his voice, his expression or maybe it was the trepidation Riddick could smell coming off Badger, finally made an impression on the man in front of him. Dark eyes looked him up and down and the man took a step back, "Got folks miss her an' love her." The man told him steadily, "We ain't ever stopped lookin' an' no _yú chǔn zì jiāo de dà zi ròu_ goggle wearin' _hún dàn_ is gonna change that. We ain't havin' that girl be owned. Not ever."

Riddick really didn't give a shit what this man thought. He couldn't catch his woman's scent anymore so she was headed back to the ship. "Dunno who you are, don't care," He told the man flatly. "But you try an' follow me; you'll be holdin' your own entrails. I don't take to bein' tracked."

He jumped, an easy leap, the ceiling even lower than the merc station on Not Furya, up to the skylight and pulled himself through it as he heard the shout of surprise from the man and a curse from the woman. Then everyone was yelling, the man and woman at Badger, Badger back at them, and Riddick decided that for the sake of his ears that he was not going to eavesdrop. Luckily, they'd already collected their payment. Kitten would be back at the ship by now, and she'd be chomping at the bit to go.

Riddick jumped off the roof and landed on the streets at a run. Someone tearing through Eavesdown at his pace wasn't so unusual that he was getting too much attention. After a minute or two though, it was apparent that he wasn't being chased. He nearly grinned as he picked up Kitten's scent, all the games they'd played, tracking each other through crowds, were coming in handy.

The ship was closed up, but her scent trail led right to it. Riddick punched in his code for the _Sanguine_ and keyed the airlock closed behind him, "Kitten?" He called into the cargo bay. Only silence answered him. She was on board; he could smell her scent in the air, fresh as if she'd just passed through the bay. Cursing, he started for the stairs and headed straight to the bridge once he was on the main deck. She'd keyed in a course for Mr. U's moon. Well he couldn't argue that. If she didn't want to be followed, that was the place to go.

* * *

 

Once he'd gotten them out of atmo and on the course she'd set Riddick pushed away from the console and decided he'd better hunt down his crew. Kitten wasn't in the engine room when Riddick poked his head through the hatch, which meant she'd holed up somewhere and he'd have to find her.

She wasn't in her room, wasn't in the exercise space and he could tell she wasn't hiding in the vents. Dog must be with her because he hadn't come to greet Riddick or lie at his feet up on the bridge. He finally tracked her down due to the scent of misery and tears along with Dog's confusion.

Kitten was hiding in the corner of one of the passenger bunks, Dog sitting next to her. She had her arms flung around the animal and was weeping into his short fur. Riddick blinked and almost took a step back. He'd never seen Kitten crying before, not like this. Dog looked almost as confused as he was, looking from the crying woman to Riddick and back again with a canine moan that was clearly a plea for Riddick to do something.

Riddick took a deep breath and reminded himself that this woman had put up with a lot of shit from him. She'd never asked him for anything in return, never tried to manipulate him, or bully him into doing things her way. She was in pain and she was afraid. And she was his as surely as he was hers. It was up to him to help her because he sure didn't see anyone else around. Retreating and letting her cry herself out was just cowardly, spineless behavior. Damned if tears would make him behave like a merc.

Two long strides forward and he was in front of her. When he crouched down to scoop her up and into his arms Riddick was half convinced he'd end up with a shiv to his ribs. But even through her storm of tears Kitten knew him and trusted him. He looked around and decided that they were going to be physically comfortable if mentally miserable and carried her to his room.

Then it was a choice between the big leather chair or the bed and he decided on the bed because Dog would want to be close by and he'd had enough of the animal trying to climb into his lap while he was in the chair. So he held her closer and leaned back against the short headboard and the weapon's rack above it. His little Kitten was still crying, misery rising off her in waves, even as Dog jumped on the bed and tried to put his head in her lap.

Riddick gave her a little more time to cry, muttering nonsense about how it would be all right and promising to kill anyone who scared her like that. He didn't even know half of what he was saying, ridiculous things like she was his and he'd make sure she was safe. That she didn't ever have to see those folks again. That it would be all right, he'd make it all right. He kept one hand rubbing up and down her spine and the other on her waist, her head tucked into his neck where he could breathe in the scent of her. The scent of her hair always reassured the animal that she was safe and that helped to keep him sort of calm.

He must have sounded pretty fierce and ready to kill someone because along with the sorrow he caught a touch of amusement in her scent. "Riddick is a good friend, good partner," She told him in a shaky voice. "She is very grateful for him."

"Still could track down those _bèn dàns_ , make 'em think twice 'bout talkin' to you like that," Riddick offered. "We ain't that far offa Persephone."

"No, please," She looked up at him and he could see the tearstains streaking her soft skin. "They've done nothing to deserve death. Her fears are…of her own making."

Riddick growled, "An' the pain I smelt? That your own fault too Kitten? 'Cause when that woman started talkin' it smelt like you were bein' tortured. You didn't even smell like that on Not Furya. Not even after that prick Santana nearly beat you to death." The thought was in his mind that he wanted to gut the woman for that alone. How dare she call Kitten a what, like she was a thing and not a living, breathing, hurting woman.

"The pain…was not all mine," The soft voice stopped all thoughts of carnage. "Much of it was hers. It flooded back when she saw me."

"An' you felt it," Riddick sighed. " _Cào dàn_ , so what's our play here _bàng jiār_?" What did she want to do? What could he do? He hated being in the dark.

"Told you of the Academy, of what happened…in general terms," She murmured. "But never told you my name, who I am, who they were who helped me, helped my brother."

"Nope," Riddick agreed promptly. "Been some curious about it but figured your real name weren't safe for use. An' I didn't mind. Callin' you Kitten…just makes you mine." He was half worried that he'd scare her with all the possessive talk, but she didn't seem to mind it.

"Riddick is protective, an Alpha male, very possessive of his pack. His. His family. His pack. His partner," Kitten's voice was amused and accepting and she wiggled slightly so she was closer to him. His hands tightened on her, pulling her against his chest in reaction and he could smell that she felt warm and safe in his arms. "He actually…is similar to Mal, His Crew, His Ship, His family."

"Mal," Riddick repeated the name slowly, "He the tall fella in the long coat?"

"Captain Malcolm Reynolds of the Firefly Transport _Serenity_ ," She nodded against his skin. "Captain Daddy. Would have fought off the mercs, fought off the Blue Sun, would have died fighting for her. Couldn't let it happen. Too much death already."

"Sounds like a tale," Riddick looked down at her and slid his hand up to her neck, finding the pins that held up her bundle of hair and pulling them out. Braids tumbled down her back and he smiled as they hit Dog on his bony spine. It was a simple matter for him to find the ends of the plaits and begin to unravel them. It felt strangely intimate to do this, to hold her and unbraid her hair, stroke his hand through it and let his fingertips rub her scalp. But she was almost purring and boneless in his arms and he guessed she needed to relax some.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Sooo… did anyone see this coming? Oh, for the purposes of this story, I'm using bàng jiār (lover/partner) as simply partner. In the evolution of language in my head canon there's a slight change in syllable emphasis to differentiate between a platonic partner or business partner and a romantic one. Of course, as things progress use of the phrase might change…
> 
> Posted a couple days early as I didn't want to forget about it over the weekend. Hope ya'll don't mind.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> tiān shā de(goddamn)
> 
> Huǐ zhī yǐ wǎn (too late to be sorry)
> 
> Tòng bù yù shēng (to be so in pain as to not want to live / to be so grieved as to wish one were dead)
> 
> luò jǐng xià shí (to throw stones at somebody who fell down a well (idiom); to hit a person who is down)
> 
> Shuǐ shēn huǒ rè (deep water and scorching fire / abyss of suffering)
> 
> Āi yā (interjection of wonder, shock or admiration)
> 
> shuǐ huǒ wú qíng (Fire and water have no mercy (idiom). forces of nature beyond human control / implacable fate)
> 
> yú chǔn zì jiāo de dà zi ròu (stupid inbred sack of meat)
> 
> hún dàn (bastard)
> 
> bèn dàns (fools)
> 
> Cào dàn (fuck)
> 
> bàng jiār (partner)
> 
> Script Chinese Translation:
> 
> Liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi (script- Stupid son of a drooling whore and monkey)


	8. The Slings and Arrows Of Outrageous Fortune

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To be, or not to be- that is the question:  
> Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer  
> The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune  
> Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,  
> And by opposing end them.
> 
> -Hamlet, William Shakespeare

River sighed in pleasure as Riddick's strong hand combed through her hair and rubbed her neck and scalp. He wasn't thinking of sex or her body at the moment, just of her, how much he liked this, holding her. How he loved the scent of her hair and didn't blame Dog one bit for the pillow thefts. How the first time he remembered feeling peaceful in his life had been sleeping on the bunk below hers on the merc ship, hearing her breathe. Knowing that she trusted him, and the simple comfort of not being alone. He was afraid, not that he'd admit that, except to himself as a slight worry, that she didn't feel the same way.

Riddick was concerned for her, worried that she'd been hurt, that she was unhappy still. Part of him concerned that she'd go back to _Serenity_. And another part of his mind was praying that he was wrong, that she wanted to stay with him. If praying was the right term for a man who believed God hated him. They were partners, friends. She'd never had a friend like him, nor he one like her. He wasn't afraid of her hearing his thoughts; his only concern was that he'd frighten her or disgust her, damage her with his thoughts in some way because of her past. They were equals. His senses were more acute but there was nothing she couldn't Read. Both of them warriors, skills honed out of the need to survive and wary of the 'Verse around them because of it.

The non-sexual thoughts didn't last long though. They never did. Riddick was very male in that regard. But he did his best to shield her from those mental musing. Right now, Riddick was very carefully not thinking about how good she felt in his lap, how silky her skin was against his neck. He'd grown accustomed to pushing away thoughts of sex with her, but his platonic intentions were always hard pressed. River smiled slightly against his skin. Poor man. She was mostly healed; his thoughts didn't even bother her much anymore.

Throwing things at him when he'd had blatantly lustful daydreams was mostly habit. One she'd pretty much stopped now that his fantasies didn't bother her. Part of her found her partner very attractive. His face and body, his beautiful mercury eyes and intelligent mind were wonderful to her. But another part was whispering that she wasn't ready. That everything would change. That he'd never truly want her; no one but Simon had ever really wanted her to keep. He was used to protecting himself. And she didn't want to lose him by holding on too tightly.

River quashed all thoughts of her attraction to him and kept her voice quiet and even as she began her tale, "Riddick knows the bare bones. But he doesn't know the cast of characters. Of those lost. Of the price that was paid for her freedom. For her sanity." The ache that welled up inside her at the memory of Miranda's aftermath nearly choked her.

"You said it didn't come easy," Riddick was thinking that if it hurt her he could stand to not hear this story ever. He had things that he didn't talk on and she never poked at them, "Kitten you don't gotta—"

"You've let me partner with you, protected me, curbed your thoughts even," River put a finger to his lips to hush him. His mouth was soft, lips velvety under her fingertips and she pulled her hand away before she could succumb to the temptation to trace the outline of his mouth with her fingers. To think of feeling that contradictory softness against her lips, the dichotomy of such a hard man, a warrior, having such a gentle mouth. "Deserves to know why. Why I had to run. Why I can't even—"

She took a deep breath and felt Riddick do the same, his body pressing against hers, lifting her slightly with the strength of his ribs. "My name…is River Jiao Tam," She introduced herself solemnly. "I'm a genius. Also a dancer. When I was fourteen I went to a government sponsored school because I wanted so badly to learn. But it wasn't a school of learning. Not academic learning. I was tortured, my brain cut into, and I was turned into a Reader and assassin. I got a message to my brother. And when I was seventeen my brother Simon broke me out of the Academy run by Blue Sun Corp and brought me onto Mal's ship, _Serenity_. Brought me on in a box, in deep cryo, almost frozen, but still awake and more than half mad with the voices."

She rested her face against Riddick's neck and continued to speak, "I've been called a lot of things. Crazy, girl, little one, _mèi mei_ , witch, assassin and albatross. I like that you call me Kitten. River isn't safe to use and Lil doesn't feel right. But Kitten does. And it's the name you gave me, _your_ partner. _Your_ Kitten. It feels safe and right." She felt the surge of pleasure from him that the name he gave her was one she preferred to use and River realized that she'd never said that to him before. "Should have told you that a long time ago," She murmured.

"So Mal's the Captain. Who's the Amazon with the bad attitude," Riddick wanted to know.

River grinned and she knew he could hear it in her voice, "He is one to talk of attitude problems." She teased, "Hasn't he schooled the 'verse on them?" Her partner might as well hold a doctorate in 'bad attitude'. He reminded her of a description of Byron. Mad. Bad. And dangerous to know.

"Yeah, yeah," Riddick chuckled, a rumble of mirth beneath her ear.

"She is Zoe Alleyne Washburne, First Mate," River said softly. "Was Corporal to Mal's Sergeant in the war. Married to Hoban Washburne. Mother to Jason Hoban Washburne." She took a deep breath, Riddick's skin against her cheek and said the rest, "Widowed during the Miranda Wave."

River felt Riddick's entire body still with the realization of exactly what Zoe's problem was and then he growled. The wave of fury coming off of him was almost shocking it was so intense. And it was completely on her behalf. "She blames you," He said flatly and pulled her tighter against his body as if he could protect her from the First Mate's anger and projected guilt. "Her husband died on a Reaver's spear because of your Captain's crazy plan but she blames you."

He obviously remembered her story from when they visited Universe's moon that first time and had drawn a very accurate conclusion. Her entire body warmed with the heat of his anger and she wondered if he knew how comforting she found it. It was rare that someone felt so completely and so purely and on her behalf. Simon had, and Jayne, once he'd learned what had been done to her. Though even he had flashes of selfishness over the repercussions of her escape. Everyone else on the crew had been wound up in how she'd draw trouble onto them or been afraid of her. Mal had become righteous in his wrath but it had been for the truth, not for her as a person. He'd cared for her, but he'd been very conscious of the danger she brought along with her broken self.

River looked up at Riddick and shrugged in his embrace, "If I had never come aboard _Serenity_ her husband would be alive. She blames the Alliance, she blames Blue Sun, she blames Simon and she blames me. She even blames Mal a little bit, for following a quixotic quest. But mostly me. My fault."

"Yeah, 'cause you ruttin' begged to get your brain sliced on," Riddick grumbled. "Fuckin' _jiàn huò_." She could feel him forcing himself to not clutch at her tighter, his mental note that she had to breathe. "Guess it don't hafta make sense to be true," He conceded with a sigh.

"Precisely," River nodded. "But she was pregnant during Miranda, bore Wash's son seven and a half months later. The only joy in her life. If I had stayed on _Serenity_ , if the mercs had come aboard..." She shuddered and Riddick's hands, warm and affectionate, rubbed up and down her back, calming the convulsive shivers.

"How many of 'em would have died?" Riddick asked, "I can tell you Saw it. Wasn't just you figurin' the odds. You get a different tone to your voice, different scent, when it's an actual vision an' not just figurin' out how somethin'll go." He tugged her a bit closer, rubbing at the knots of tension in her neck.

"Of the people on _Serenity_ , only Zoe, Jayne and Mal were experienced fighters besides me. Everyone else…noncombatants, not good with weapons. If I'd stayed on the ship, if Santana and his crew had come to _Serenity_ … Mal, and Simon, would die right away, and Jayne would have been left for dead, likely to bleed out without a doctor. Zoe would have most likely died."

She took a deep breath, shuddering, "Kaylee and Jason would have been taken, sold to Blue Sun, kept as slaves, sold as whores on a planet that doesn't look at legality too much. If Zoe lived she'd be a slave along with them, she would have died without ever seeing her son again. Kaylee would be dead within a year. Jason…he'd live until he was in his teens, then he'd be killed by a john that got too rough." River hated that vision, the way blood stained _Serenity's_ decks, the sight of the men slaughtered in the cargo bay. She hated the truth of it, the detail and certainty embedded in her brain, recalled in an instant whenever she considered the possibilities.

"And you didn't tell 'em because you knew they'd argue, least your brother woulda, and probably die arguin' still," Riddick surmised and River nodded. The crew had never admitted to themselves the fears they had concerning her. They'd never faced their thoughts, the dreams in the night. She'd had to hear all of it, even what they denied they felt. They weren't like Riddick, experienced with compartmentalizing their emotions, able to push them aside and feel them later. If her amygdale was stripped his was overdeveloped through a lifetime of hardship and necessity.

"They would have argued for me to stay, because to do otherwise would be wrong, even if they were afraid of the outcome," She said finally. "Not bad people, but life with a Reader...it's not for the weak. Even the things they couldn't admit they felt, didn't name their fears, I could still feel them. And know why even if they didn't. I knew them all so well. Had to live with the ocean of their feelings for nearly a year before sanity was regained. None of them had your control, the strength of will you employ to...keep your feelings restrained. You feel but you don't let it rule you."

Her huge friend sighed and rubbed her back again. His chin was resting on the top of her skull, and part of his brain was thinking about how her hair felt on his skin, cataloging and filing away the sensation. "So why were you so afraid when you saw 'em?"

"After the Miranda Wave, Inara Serra...stayed for a little while, but then she left again," River whispered sadly. "She's dying and she wasn't going to die on _Serenity_. She loves them too much to make them watch. So she's with House Madrassa. Mal was very upset. Angry, in pain. Wondering if the girl wasn't so twitchy if Inara would still have left."

"Guess that was before you got your brain all straightened out?" Riddick's voice was a gentle rumble under her ear.

"Very much so," She took a breath and tried not to let it catch with the remembered pain. "The first year... Everyone was in pain. Worried. Grieving." The Reader shuddered, "And it felt like everyone blamed me. Simon didn't but Zoe blamed him. He brought me on board, dragged them into it, and ultimately got Wash killed. Simon had a Fed tailing him, the man shot Kaylee and then Simon bargained over her belly wound for escape. Inara and Mal... they were pragmatic but they only had to look around to see all the damage that was done, and the present cause of it. Kaylee...she's sweet but part of her knew, felt that if I hadn't been there no one would have been hurt. Jayne...he blames the Alliance. But he was so angry, at everyone, and worried because without work he had no money to send his family. He took a job on the docks, worked double shifts so he'd have coin to send for his sister's medicine. Helped repair _Serenity_ at night and when he wasn't working, barely slept. Simon had to give him vitamin shots to keep him from getting sick."

River nearly sobbed at the memory of all that pain and felt Riddick's hand tighten on her waist, "Kitten, River...you don't gotta tell me if you-" He began to tell her gently.

"No, tell you, get the poison out, lance the wound," River shook her head before she pressed her nose to his collarbone and inhaled against his skin. "Deserves to have the truth."

"All right," The huge hands on her back and waist tightened and then deliberately relaxed. One of them slid up and drew her head back so he could look down into her eyes. River stared up into the liquid silver of his gaze. His dark coffee voice was gentle, "Guess you should get it all out at once then, huh?"

"Please," River nodded. He growled, rough in his throat and pulled her tight against him again, as if he would protect her from the memories. "When the Operative was hunting us... he..." She spoke carefully, in the dark agent's words, "Should your enemy go to ground, leave him no ground to go to."

"So he killed alla your allies too," Riddick realized. "That musta made it hard to get work," He had zeroed in on the biggest cause of tension on _Serenity_ with the accuracy of someone who'd either been in that situation or caused something similar.

"Very," River agreed. "We were just starting to find regular jobs again when I had the vision of the Mercs. But every day, for all that time, until I learned to narrow what I heard, what I felt, from everyone on the boat, I felt it. I felt all their worry and blame and anger. Even when it wasn't specifically for me...I was the cause of it all."

"No," Riddick growled and his fury ignited into a near killing range. "No, you ain't responsible for what that Operative or the Alliance did."

"No," River agreed sadly. "But the Operative, the Feds and Purplebellies, the Alliance...none of them on the boat. Just me. And Zoe...she was so glad of her child, but so angry with me. Blamed me. Blamed me for dragging them back into war. For not Seeing what would happen to Wash, to our friends. Blames me for her pain and grief and leaving her child fatherless."

"But you were afraid," Riddick was nothing if not observant and he knew her scent very well. He knew that the emotion that had overwhelmed her when she'd heard Mal and Zoe's voices had been fear, not pain.

"Because of me, Simon, my brother, the doctor of the ship, is dead," River whispered. "Dead because he could not let me go. Dead because he followed me. Kaylee loved him so much. He kept the crew alive, patched them up, even got along with Jayne eventually. Bickering brothers... I couldn't bear it. Couldn't stand to hear it in their minds, to feel it, that I was to blame for his death. As I was to blame for everything else that happened. So afraid to see it in their minds. Cowardly. Craven and weak."

Riddick didn't care for that summation if his mental roar of rage was any indication. He pulled her away from his body and held her so her face was level with his, "You ain't weak." He snarled in her face. "My partner, the only person in the whole gorram 'verse who ain't afraid of me? You're not weak. Or cowardly. So what if you're afraid of feelin' that? He's your brother. They're supposed to be your family and they made you feel like that. Did just as much of a mind fuck on you as that _tiān shā de_ Academy."

"Didn't know they were making her feel it," River objected quietly.

"What's that old sayin'? Ignorance of the law is no excuse?" Riddick sneered mildly, "They had to know you're a Reader. Thoughts and emotions. They're so stupid they didn't figure out you'd feel everything they did but worse? Didn't occur to 'em that they were hurting you? Or were they so wrapped up in their own crap they didn't bother to think maybe they should be curbing their thoughts?"

"Simon made the connection, helped me to meditate until I could do it on my own. Would find me at night, leave Kaylee's bed to help me calm my mind," River smiled slightly at the memory. "He was so proper. He wore sleeping trousers but to him that wasn't enough to preserve modesty. He almost always found a shirt or a robe, something to cover his upper body."

Riddick chuckled, "Suppose he'd have a fit about you bein' in my room on my bed." He seemed to find the idea of an irate big brother very amusing and River giggled.

"He would lecture. And get very stiff backed with you and try to inform you that this is not appropriate," She smiled as Riddick drew her back down into his embrace, his big hand rubbing her back again. "Never would back down from a fight if he thought he was right. Stood up to Mal and Jayne, so strong. Taught her how to be strong too. He'd be appalled at how uncivilized I am these days."

"Hey, we eat off plates and use flatware 'n' chopsticks an' everything," Riddick objected teasingly.

"But _such_ plates," River wrinkled her nose and laughed. Their tableware was mismatched, a riot of colors, but sturdy. All things found in second hand shops. Functional but nothing was overly elegant or even a partial set of the same pattern.

"Tell me more about him," The big man coaxed. "You told me you corrected his spelling. What other stuff did you do?"

River grinned and began to tell him about the Independents making common cause with the dinosaurs and the need for cannibalism.

* * *

 

Riddick looked down at the exhausted girl in his arms. Kitten had fallen asleep with a smile on her face. She'd told him all about her brother. If the man had still been alive Riddick was pretty sure he'd have a herd of cows over the life she was living now. But in spite of that it seemed like her brother had always been the one person who'd been on her side. She'd said there'd been one time he'd doubted, when he'd worried that he'd never be able to help her after she'd been triggered. But it had only been a moment or two, and it had faded as he'd defended his choices to the captain.

To lose someone like that, someone who'd loved her that much, without conditions, no wonder she'd been terrified when she'd heard her former Captain's voice. And no wonder she'd been weeping even as she'd laughed over the stories of her brother. She was finally getting ready to let him go. From what she'd said she hadn't let herself think of whether or not her brother was alive or dead until after she'd killed Diaz.

She'd been mourning him silently the entire time she'd been a slave, and for the entire year that Riddick had known her. Hearing her former crew had to have just driven the entire thing home. It was real. Her brother was really gone. And she'd been afraid they'd blame her for it.

Riddick growled softly and Dog's ears pricked up in with interest. If he'd had his way he'd go find that damn ship and have a few sharp words with that crew. Especially the Amazon. Blaming a girl no more than a child for something that she couldn't help and couldn't change. Knowing the girl would feel those emotions? That took a special kind of selfish bitch. And that Captain... that idiot had to be truly blind or self-absorbed if he didn't see what his First Mate was doing. And his Kitten had lived with that...for at least eight months and then longer.

He shook his head; he wasn't even sure how old she was. Past twenty, he knew that much.

"River Tam is almost twenty-three years old," Her voice was tired. "Riddick is thinking very loudly and angrily right now." Make that tired and amused, Riddick thought to himself as her lips quirked upwards. "Why? Was he worried he should not let her have vodka?"

Riddick laughed and stroked a hand through her hair, "Yeah Kitten, that's exactly what I was worried about."

"Don't want to go back, not even to say goodbye," She told him. "Not even to play who's the better killer with her partner. Better off to leave them be. Mercs on our neck. Mercs will always be on our neck."

"Yeah," Riddick nodded his agreement of that. A thought struck him and he grinned down at her, "So how big's your bounty?"

"Bigger alive than Riddick's is for him alive," She was slipping back into sleep. "But much less dead. Reader can't Read if she's dead."

"Guess not," Riddick smiled and ran his hand over her hair again. "Get some sleep Kitten." He told her, "I gotcha."

"Glad he decided she is his. His partner, his crew, his family," She murmured. "She is glad to have him as hers. Her _bàng jiār_."

"Yeah me too," Riddick kept is voice low as her breathing evened. This was a rarity. The woman he'd been thinking on for more than a year was in his bed and in his arms and she was asleep. And he wasn't going to do anything to change that. Yeah, she'd changed him. He wanted to take care of her, protect her, and keep her his friend. Better to just keep the part that wanted to screw her to the mattress restrained. He looked down at the beautiful woman sleeping so trustingly in his arms.

Restraining the animal was getting more and more difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Well now you all know why River ran from her old crew. And why she left Serenity in the first place. I always thought that it would be really hard for people to not blame her, even though she couldn't help what had happened. And no one stops Mal when he's got his mind set on something. Soo… some complications to those relationships. But now Riddick knows who she is and her history. Hope you're curious to see what's next.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> mèi mei (little sister)
> 
> jiàn huò (bitch)
> 
> tiān shā de (goddamn)
> 
> bàng jiār (partner)


	9. The Grief That Does Not Speak Whispers The O'er-Fraught Heart, And Bids It Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merciful heaven!  
> What, man! Ne'er pull your hat upon your brows.  
> Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak  
> Whispers the o'erfraught heart and bids it break.  
> -Macbeth, William Shakespeare

The cockpit was snug around him, but it was comforting rather than claustrophobic. Maybe that was because he and Kitten had made it home. She'd put a plastic toy on top of the console, a brontosaurus and called it Mister. Now he knew it was an homage to the pilot who'd been killed. She always smiled when she looked at it and once she'd said it taught her how to fly.

Her soft hand on his shoulder had him glancing up and she smiled as she took the co-pilots seat. "Learned a lot from him. Not just how to do the math, but when the math could be shaved. He was a genius at flying. Gifted. No one could outfly him, not even Reavers."

"Haven't noticed Reavers being so great at aeronautics as they are ramming things." Riddick commented as he adjusted their course. "Wouldn't have thought being mindless ravening cannibals lent itself to piloting anyway. Makes me wonder what other skills they keep."

"Keep what you kill?" Kitten mused, borrowing the phrase she'd obviously Read out of his brain at one point or another. "Don't think they absorb knowledge by eating flesh. Might be more instinct, do whatever it takes to get off planet and into the Black for the hunt."

He nodded, "You said they fly without containment. That takes a special kind of crazy."

"They..." She frowned, and he could tell she was trying to choose the right words. "Their minds...they're full of red. Rage, blood, hunger..." Her dark eyes met his silver ones and she half smiled as she Read the thought in his mind. "Not like yours. You are...Furya. Wrath and reckoning. But it isn't madness. And you don't crave blood the way they do. No need to rape and torture. My _bàng jiār_ doesn't embrace cruelty. Not as they have. The animal side of you won't allow it."

"You said your crew picked up a survivor but he was turning into a Reaver." Riddick turned on the autopilot and looked at her fully. "So, it's more of a contagion of the mind?"

He liked watching her think, the way she allowed her thoughts to cross her face, it meant she was relaxed. In their early days she'd been guarded, like he'd been, the habit of more than a year as a slave still keeping her face expressionless, cold and blank. And, he guessed, her time with her old crew had forced her to keep a poker face lest they realize how much she knew of their thoughts at least once she was sane. He hadn't realized until she stopped doing it how much he hated seeing nothing on her face but distance. Now she leaned back in her chair and drew her feet up, considering his question.

"Think you might be right. It would take a mind stronger than an ordinary person's… Like yours or mine, already tempered and shaped by pain, to withstand the mental torture of watching an entire ship of people tortured, raped and skinned, without breaking and surrendering. The one we found, he couldn't face the atrocities so he became what had caused them." She shuddered, "Mal figured it out too late. And I couldn't speak of it, couldn't talk straight to warn him in time for us to kill it."

"Well that's one Alliance man knows there's more things in heaven and earth than he's dreamt." Riddick gave a one shouldered shrug, not particularly bothered by the deaths of Purplebellies who'd have locked up his little woman faster than she could blink if they'd found her.

"Not a bad man. First time out beyond the border. And he at least listened to the Captain, followed his advice. There are many who would simply remain blind out of sheer willfulness." Kitten excused the Fed captain with a half-smile. "Glad that he knows now. Catalyst was uncomfortable but it is good that Riddick knows. Knew I'd need to tell you someday. He deserved to know."

"Uncomfortable." Riddick snorted at the understatement. "Right." He shook his head. "I could tell your captain, Reynolds, he was concerned about you. But his bitch of a first mate... she comes near me again, talking about you like you're a thing and not a woman... I'll slice her open and watch her bleed happily."

"The Missus. has become...bitter about the girl. Unprepared for how she'd feel when she saw her again." A sigh escaped her, "Lost her home when she was a girl. Raised on a ship that was taken by the Alliance in payment for fines levied unjustly. Lost her war. Lost her husband. Only thing she hasn't lost is her friend. And he's very changed from what he had been, older, tired, no faith anymore."

"I don't care if she's buried everyone she's ever known," Riddick growled. "You're mine Kitten. She hurts you she's dead. Period." He wondered if she really had a clue just how much she meant to him. How rare she was. He hadn't ever met anyone he could talk to like her. No one around whom he could let down his guard and just be himself, and not worry about judgement. The Imam had been a decent man but he'd been too steeped in religion to not judge Riddick on some level. And Jack had been a bundle of misery and hero worship wrapped up in the enigma that was a near adolescent girl. Judging was practically her job description.

Her gentle smile was tinged with amusement and affection and he was still amazed at how good her smiles made him feel. She hadn't had much cause to smile when they'd first met. "There won't be any need for killing should we ever meet the first mate again. Wound has been lanced."

"So she won't be a complete bitch the next time we end up seeing her?" Riddick knew his voice sounded dubious and he didn't care.

It was her turn to shrug. "Doubt it will be an issue."

He growled, the memory of her pain and tears still too fresh to shrug off and returned his attention to their charted course.

* * *

 

In the year they'd worked together they'd returned fairly often to Mr. Universe's moon. He and Kitten had actually gotten it fixed up as a decent home base. Their work was dangerous enough that now and again Kitten needed the powerful cortex set up to research their potential employers. Something better than what she'd set up aboard ship and that was nothing to sneeze at. According to her Mr. Universe had husked the owner of the communication complex's cortex and made it read like the terraforming of the moon was coming undone and the air would be unbreathable inside of a month. Since the moon had been terraformed specifically because it would produce an ion cloud to facilitate communication it made the perfect base for a husker like Mr. Universe. Or Kitten.

More than once she'd dug out a connection to something unsavory enough that they'd turned the job down. It had made money tight at times but better a to tighten their belts and be over cautious. Neither of them wanted to mess with the Tongs more than they could help and if they worked for one of the Tongs then they were marked as enemies by all of the others. They were formidable but not so well known that they could declare themselves independent contractors and have it respected by every form of organized crime on all the worlds spinning. That sort of notoriety they did not need or want, not when it would bring every Fed and Purplebelly throughout the 'verse down on them. Not to mention the mercs who'd swarm like bees to honey in hopes of a quick and easy payday.

Landing the ship on the moon was easy enough. The _Sanguine_ sailed into the hanger without incident, being somewhat smaller than a Firefly, and they were concealed to anyone that might figure on being nosy and doing a fly by. The ion cloud was a long familiar landmark to him now and he actually enjoyed the air and room to stretch out. Dog always charged off the ship like he was heading for open fields and no intent to return when they arrived on the moon. Now and then he came back with gophers or rabbits his posture full of pride in his hunting skills.

"Kitten, if this moon's supposed to have terraforming gone wrong, how's it that once that Operative and the Purplebellies set down here that they didn't go in and change the records?" He asked the question that had nagged at him on and off since she'd told him how Universe had stolen the moon.

"Operative was…not at his best, after the Miranda wave. Broke his faith." She explained. "Purplebellies wouldn't think of it. And once away from the moon, the Operative didn't think of it either. Too many other problems, unrest throughout the 'Verse after the Miranda Wave." She shrugged, "And…" She sent him a grin. "The girl, in her more lucid moments, might have gotten on the cortex and done some work to ensure it remained overlooked."

"So you knew it'd be forgotten still when we got off Not Furya," Riddick gave her a grin.

"Hoped. Verified it from the cortex on the merc boat." She began to get laundry together and Riddick ducked into his room to do the same. "Probably able to unload the stolen cargo from that job on Regina now," Kitten commented from the hallway behind him. "Anyone looking for it would have expected it to surface before this."

"What'd we steal back on Boros?" He turned and smirked at her, "I keep forgetting."

"Just likes to laugh about the wobbly headed dolls and their popularity." She grinned at him. "Got word about some possible work but need to check a few things out. We can check our garden while we're here too."

"Your garden," Riddick corrected her. "I'm not the one who set up solar lamps and automated sprinklers."

"Richard helped to buy the supplies to make it thus it is also his," She rolled her eyes. "Bought supplies for canning while we were on Persephone."

Riddick began to shut down the systems on the bridge in preparation for the engine check they'd need to do now that they were dirtside and safely alone. "Mentioned before Badger's job that you had a line on something out on Whitefall?"

Kitten nodded as she climbed up into the engine room, "There's an order for foodstuffs and dry goods with a tag added to it. Specialty goods."

Riddick grinned as his little partner began to meticulously check the engine, handing her the tools she need as she requested them. "That the same sorta tag was on that job we did for Yao Gorbett over on Three Hills?"

Her laugh was like a warm breeze and the sound eased some of the tension he'd been carrying since they'd left Badger's den so abruptly. Her scent was more relaxed too, engine work and knowledge of a safe location working its usual magic. " _Bàng jiār_ is exactly right. Coordinates of a ship to loot along with the goods needed. Play it right and we'll find more we can salvage. Have to shut down all systems though, run our ghost protocols until we're disengaged."

"Well yeah," That went without saying, at least to his mind, but he got the feeling in her experience that wasn't always the case. "Get Dog in my room with closed-circuit life support."

"Have it read to look like residual radiation from the wreck," Kitten was nodding, he could hear it in her voice even if he couldn't see her. "Broken boat specs scan large enough to hide our little Knorr from anyone taking a look."

"Set up a distraction just to be safe?" Riddick liked that she giggled when he made the suggestion. She always got so tickled that their minds were on the same wavelength.

"Cry-baby, cry, make your mama sigh," She quoted in one of the voices that wasn't hers. "Just in case."

"Guessin' your old crew ran a job like this one and didn't take these precautions?" Riddick mused quietly as he handed her another tool. Her slender fingers were getting covered in grease but since they were dirtside they could both scrub as much as they liked. Mr. U's moon was set up with regular dockside amenities since he'd stolen it after it had been set up as a small communication complex which would need shipments of goods now and then. It was handy and had only taken he and Kitten a week or so of hard labor and cortex work between jobs to get it running again.

"Had the crybaby, but did not have the cortex knowledge or the funds to set up _Serenity_ with ghost protocols and closed-circuit life support with masking capabilities." Kitten had a shrug in her voice that belied the sorrow in her scent whenever she spoke of her old crew. "Ended up flagged by the Feds as they left. Badger didn't want to buy the goods since they'd be under scrutiny. Can't really blame him for that. Ended up selling to Patience who tried to shoot them and take the goods for free."

She handed him the tools as she knelt next to the trap door and looked down at him. "We will need to get parts in the next month. Lots of hard burn and we're going through our circuit breakers and fuses more quickly. Worth it but we'll have to scavenge hard or buy parts."

"We'll look through the boat we're looting then." Riddick agreed and reached up for her, his aid unneeded but she still smiled and let him help her down to the ladder. "Nothing's gonna wreak havoc while we're doing the job?"

"No, all is as it should be, will hold for another month at least. Just like to be sure. No fires please." Kitten said solemnly.

"Hell no. Like to avoid fire out in the Black." He nodded his fervent agreement to that. "So what say we scrub up, then head out to the garden, you can fill me in on the job I found back on Herschel and why we should take extra care." He'd keep a careful eye on his little partner as well, now that she was finally grieving she'd need a bit more consideration. If there was one thing he knew well it was loss.

* * *

 

River sighed with pleasure as she scrubbed away dirt and the last of the tears and memories left from the fracas on Persephone. Riddick was worried about her, ready to go out and kill every single member of _Serenity's_ crew for inflicting their emotions on her, just in the hope that she'd feel better afterwards. He was determined that she not be hurt again, in any way, and willing to take whatever steps were needed to prevent that happening.

Warm water and soap, scrubbing herself clean did almost as much to help her ground her psyche in reality as Riddick's comfort had. Her big partner didn't realize how much he helped her, how easily she could slip back into her own peculiar madness when she tried to Read situations or people. He'd been curbing his own impulses around her for a year and even tried to control his thoughts so she'd feel safe. His solid mental and physical presence was invaluable but he had no idea. And every time she'd tried to explain it to him over the last six months he'd shrugged uncomfortably, diverting the conversation.

He wasn't comfortable with emotion unless it was rage or something else considered negative. Gratitude on her part for something he seemed to feel was her due made him extremely irritable so she'd stopped trying to thank him and just did as much as she could to make his life easier and comfortable on their ship. She hadn't found a way yet to tell him she was better, that he didn't have to stifle his instinctive reactions to a female presence anymore, without making it sound as if she was trying to provoke those reactions. She wasn't throwing things at him anymore but she doubted he'd noticed.

The Reader took a deep breath and pulled on her old work clothes, diverting to the kitchen to check their cabinet space before she sat to lace up her combat boots. Riddick was just coming out of his room as she took out her produce basket. "If the calculations were correct we should have tomatoes and green beans as well as cucumbers, strawberries and peas."

Her big partner nodded, "Let Dog out already, he's busy making sure no one has infringed up on his territory since we were here last." His big hands slipped a knife down his boot and she knew that was only the last of his weapons, just as the gun on her hip wasn't her only weapon.

"Haven't seen any sign of visitors," River offered as she stood and led the way down to the cargo deck and out the bay doors.

"No, nobody's been here," He slanted a glance at her, studying her in that deceptively casual way he had. "Your old crew wouldn't think to look for us here? Wouldn't cross their minds?"

River gave the question serious consideration as they walked towards the greenhouses they'd set up in their spare time this past year. Thankfully the moon didn't have much of a cold season, just enough of one to create a chill in the air, but no biting winds that might have torn open the plastic sheeted walls and roof. The arch of the sheeting helped with that as well, no hard edges for any winds to catch, and rain easily sliding down the curved sides. When they had more platinum to spare they'd replace the sheeting with plexiglas which would be even sturdier. Riddick waited patiently as she pulled on her gloves and began checking acid and alkaline levels in the soil, still mulling over the probabilities in her mind.

He'd told her once her scent changed depending on what mental work she was doing so he wasn't surprised when she looked up at him and shrugged slightly. "Emotional factors can make calculations unpredictable but the likelihood of anyone from _Serenity_ coming to this moon is very slender. Si- Simon would be the only one who understood why I might be drawn to this place. For the rest of them it's a world of loss and pain. For me…it was where I proved I could be more than what I was created to be. More than the sum of my parts."

"They don't have your perspective so they wouldn't think to come here." Riddick nodded and began to harvest some of the larger vegetables. He still kept up the pretense of stupidity in front of others for the most part, but he remembered everything she'd taught him, including gardening. "Makes sense. None of them are the type to think outside the box?"

That question was a bit easier to answer. "Jayne might. Or Mal. Of all of them besides Wash, they're the most creative thinkers. But Jayne… he would understand that I might not want to be found. Mal… he can be very intelligent but he has blind spots. _Xiā zi mō xiàng_. This might be one of them."

Her partner nodded again. "Well we can set up a few tell-tales before we leave. Just in case." River watched as he carefully gathered more of the vegetables into the basket. "So what's the story with that job out of Herschel?"

"Jobs out of Ezra and Herschel are to be regarded with a high amount of caution. Most lead back to the _kě wù de lǎo bào jūn_ who controls illegal trade. Niska is not to be crossed. And he might have footage of the girl. Prior associates crossed him badly and then refused to die when they were captured." River shook her head, "Crew took up arms to retrieve the captain after the pilot man was ransomed. The girl was not entirely sane but math and firearms combined to kill three who would have overrun the ship."

"Well _tā mā de dì yù_ ," Riddick shook his head. "Money's really good on that one but we don't wanna take it if he's holding a grudge. Any way to find out for sure if he got a look at you?"

"Possible." River frowned as she mentally went over the ways to check her status in Niska's organization. "Might be worth the risk. Look different than I did then. Not a seventeen year old girl anymore."

She could feel his eyes on her as he thought on how they could change her looks even more. "Might be able to find you a wig, or pad your clothes some…"

"Will look into his systems, see what his cortex hides and if there is anything there about River Tam." She began to add the compost tea to the soil, replanting seeds in some sections to help it replenish. "Will have to do it from here to be thorough. Might take at least a day or two."

He shrugged as he moved to the adjoining greenhouse that sheltered the small fruit trees they were attempting to grow along with strawberries, grapes and hunchberries. "Can't say I mind breathing real air instead of recycled for a couple days Kitten. Dog can stretch, so can we. Less that'll mess up the salvage job?"

"Shouldn't," River continued to fertilize the beds. "Could go as long as a week without leaving before time becomes problematic on the job for Patience. A stop on Regina after we do the job, sell the wobbly headed geisha dolls, resupply with ammunition and check for foodstuffs since we'll have some money. Then we head to Whitefall, sell to Patience."

Riddick made an affirmative noise in his throat as he came back into the vegetable house. "Could check Whitefall for some more seeds too…see if we can get anything else to grow. Winter crops maybe. Without the solar panels, the winds would chill the greenhouses enough that we could grow potatoes, turnips, spinach and lettuces, maybe some carrots. Could build another greenhouse just for that, so we don't lose out on the rest of the garden."

"Have to check into it." River smiled at him, "Been reading up?"

"Yeah" He shrugged as he handed her a strawberry. "Figured it couldn't hurt. If we get some time anywhere wild enough, could do some hunting. Be good to have meat frozen to go with the vegetables."

"Kerry and Deadwood, both good for hunting according to Jayne." River commented absently and looked over their harvest. "Ample bounty for now. Can freeze or can vegetables this afternoon while the cortex does automated searches."

"Well let's get on that then." One wide palm stroked over the length of her braid, tugging the end teasingly. "We get some real money might be able to get some yeast and flour, see about making bao."

River sighed happily at the thought, "Haven't had fresh bao in so long." His chuckle at her blissful expression drew her out of her daydream and she rolled her eyes up at him. " _Bàng jiār_ should not laugh at her for wanting bao. Does he not crave noodles? Could learn to make those too."

It was his turn to groan hungrily over the possibility and her to grin at him until he poked her side, "Mouthy little woman. C'mon, let's eat something before we put ourselves to more work."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So a few 'everyday' things and a bit more of how they've made Universe's Moon their base. I always thought that if River and Riddick could read up on something they'd have a seventy five percent chance (which is low really) of understanding it. I'm trying to not have them turn into Mary Sues but when you're dealing with geniuses it's not easy. So they've both got their areas of expertise. River finds cortex husking (computer hacking) enjoyable and comforting. Binary is absolute and absolutes are rare. Riddick is a genius pilot and has a gift for making a weapon out of anything. Between the two of them there isn't much they can't handle but occasionally even they will be stymied by something. Otherwise, no conflict, no issues… soooo boring.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> bàng jiār (partner)
> 
> Xiā zi mō xiàng(blind people touch an elephant (idiom, from Nirvana sutra; fig. unable to see the big picture / to mistake the part for the whole / unable to see the wood for the trees)
> 
> kě wù de lǎo bào jūn (horrible old tyrant)
> 
> tā mā de dì yù (fucking hell)


	10. Though You Can Fret Me, You Cannot Play Upon Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And there is much music, excellent voice, in this little organ, yet cannot you make it speak? 'Sblood, do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, yet you cannot play upon me.
> 
> -Hamlet, William Shakespeare

Kitten was still on the cortex when he finally went to bed that evening. Her automatic searches had gone well enough apparently but now she was into manual husking. She was staring at the screens and lines of code and whispering to herself now and then in Chinese. He'd stuck a plate of food in front of her nose and she'd thanked him and begun to eat automatically but that was the most he'd gotten out of her.

He took a moment to be grateful they'd taken the time to set up in Universe's old area. It had been a pain to move all the cortex equipment from the hiding place but at least they weren't in a cave. There were actually windows behind the drapes covering the walls. The kitchen and bathroom worked still and once they'd scrubbed out the blood and replaced a cushion or two the couch was pretty comfortable. With the addition of a screen between the living area and the 'office' to shield his eyes from the glare of the cortex, it was actually a good space. With some research Kitten had managed to convert part of the couch to a futon type bed that folded out and claimed the office as her sleeping space, leaving the bedroom for him. The bedroom wasn't a bad space, about the same size as his cabin aboard the ship and once they'd gotten it set up with a mattress big enough for him it was pretty comfortable.

He'd argued against it, saying she'd sleep better with a locking door between her and the world but she'd shaken her head and said the moon was the one place she knew she was safe. Something about her emotional center being stabilized and the world being hers. He knew better than to continue the argument when she talked like that. And she did seem to enjoy lounging on the futon with Dog while she worked. She could go for days like that, a lot like now actually.

Morning didn't bring much of a change. Dog was sprawled across her lap while she used his spine as a desk for her keyboard and her hands flew over the keys. She didn't even seem to notice him in the doorway so he left her to it and went to make something for breakfast. She could go on for days like this, barely eating or sleeping as she followed rabbit trails all over the cortex in pursuit of the information they needed. It was times like these that he remembered why she needed him. He'd stick food and water in front of her, prod her into getting up and doing something physical to give her mind a break and in general remind her that she was more than a brain with a keyboard.

When Kitten finally emerged from her lair she was red eyed with fatigue but smelling triumphant on top of that. "No traps for us on the job for Patience, or on the Niska job that she could find." She told him happily as she took out the egg mix and began to whip it with water and powdered milk. "Can send a wave that we're interested in Niska's job after we land on Whitehall. Probably have to go interview, see Niska's show. Likes to display his ruthless nature. Sadistic old _hún dàn_."

Riddick nodded, moving to set the table and pour them both some tea. "Oughta see if we can find more tea when we stop on Regina."

"She will add it to the list." Kitten nodded as she prepared omelets with a side of hash. "Might want to look into some body armor."

"Dunno that we've got the cash for it but we can take a look," Riddick didn't think it was a bad idea. He might shrug off bullets but Kitten was tiny and something that was an irritant to him could blow a hole the size of his fist in her. "At least something for you."

"Both or none," She turned to frown at him. "Equal partners."

He sighed and didn't argue, pouring out Dog's food for him and sending a command to the ship via the cortex to flush out the lines and take on fresh water while he was thinking of it. When he returned to the galley Dog had wolfed down his own food and was eying the plates of eggs and hash hopefully. "No." He rolled his eyes at the animal. "You had yours."

Kitten sipped her tea and rubbed her eyes. "She will download all information to the ships cortex and nap for a bit. Then go over the particulars of the job on the salvage ship."

* * *

 

The crybaby was in place, ready to send out its plaintive wail of distress should they have the bad luck to have their precautions fail. River grinned as they shut the ship down, attached like a tick to the belly of the drifting derelict. "Easy as lyin'," She quoted Kaylee cheerfully and checked Riddick's suit while he did the same for her. Chances were they wouldn't even need the EVA suits to do the job but it was a good idea to have them on until they were certain.

"Yeah," Riddick's appreciation for her husking skills always took an upturn when they pulled a job like this. Hiding their heat signatures and life signs was no easy feat. "Dog's all snugged in."

"Keyed into their system. Hull is intact, secondary airlocks…intact. Flooding the ship with air…" She watched the calculator, figuring the amount of air needed to fill the ship and setting the Knorr's life support systems into overdrive to fill the derelict with enough air that they wouldn't need the suits to do their work. "Counting down…" The cortex beeped to signify its task complete. "Setting shut down sequences off now," She keyed the code into the cortex pad and stuck it to the velcro on the airlock wall. One by one the ship's systems went dark around them as they began to remove the EVA suits and the airlock opened as the final sequence ran.

The derelict ship's airlock hadn't sealed properly against the Black thanks to whomever had opened it last, but the inner doors were solid and thankfully, so was the third set. Triple sets of air tight doors, even if only from the official airlock into a hallway, were more the norm than the exception. The third door had probably kept the crew from being sucked into vacuum or dying of asphyxiation. Thankfully the _Sanguine's_ airlock, with the modifications they'd made, would seal even to a slightly breached foreign airlock. It had been tricky and taken months of work but every time they pulled this type of job it was worth it. That was another time a genius cortex husker was handy. Riddick had appreciated the modifications even more when she said only Alliance ships usually had them. It gave them an edge over other boats. They made enough platinum off of salvage jobs that the time and trouble had been paid off several times over.

"What'n the hell happened to her?" Riddick wondered as they walked down the hall. Rooms along their way had furniture tumbled over, as if the crew had sprung out of their chairs heedless of anything but action. "Looks like everything's just abandoned."

River listened and frowned as the echoes of the ship bounced off the walls and back to her. "Pirates I think." She led him to the cargo hold. "They were smuggling genseed. But the cargo they were carrying more openly was rich enough for plunder."

"What were they carrying? Platinum?" Riddick frowned as he examined the cargo hold and its strange set up.

"Slaves." River pointed out the manacles and the cell sized crates with feeding slots. " _Fèi wù hún dàns_ got what they deserved. Taken as slaves by the pirates along with the cargo of human flesh." She found the push mule and knelt where the job particulars had indicated the smuggling compartment would be. "Here."

"Let me," Riddick frowned and hefted the floor grate off the compartment door. "Gonna have to burn through that lock."

"Hmm," River nodded. "Probably right. I've practiced with locks, but it would take me too much time to pick it. Unless you've been holding out on me?" In answer, her partner reached into the satchel he carried and produced the sticky and burning gun, affixing the volatile putty to the lock and dragged the activating agent over it with the gun nozzle. A short while later the lock was easily removed from the door and they were loading their cargo onto the hand mule. Riddick had obviously not been holding back his superior lock picking skills.

"You wanna check the engine room for fuses and the like while I load this into our ship's airlock?" Riddick asked. "Unless we don't have time?"

Listening to the Black around them could be painful but this time there was nothing but silence for light years, except for… "Only one ship nearby. Hours before its even close. Even if we're scanned, no way to tell our ship from this one, not with all the debris around and no energy or life signs."

"Then let's scrounge." Riddick grinned at her. "I'll bring back another couple bags just in case."

"Good thoughts." She smiled back at him and replaced the grate over the compartment door. "I'll start with the engine room and then go through the bridge and galley."

* * *

 

They'd taken longer than they realized, scavenging through the engine room and making several trips back and forth to their airlock to load it with preserved foodstuffs, cortex workings and various parts that they could either sell or use on their own ship. Apparently, the pirates who'd taken the ship were so pleased with their score of slaves they hadn't bothered to loot much else.

River was trying not to laugh too hard at Riddick's exaggerated faces over the canned goods when she heard them. It was instinct to freeze into place, just as it was instinctive to look upwards. "What?" Riddick's voice was quiet. "Thought the nearest boat was hours away?"

"We've been here for hours." River told him tersely. She tilted her head, listening to the minds sailing above them. "We used our ship to provide this one with air when we docked, but no heat, no power…" Mentally she checked off their precautions as she spoke.

"Pried all the doors open manually over here, no power," Riddick murmured. "Ours is completely shut down."

"Atmosphere is cold enough that our body heat won't trip an alarm," River continued as she listened. "Pirates hid in the debris field and when the boat sailed near, boarded her. Debris, swept along in their wake, surrounds the derelict. The Purplebellies… know what this ship was. Know what hit them and don't care…"

"So they think there wouldn't be anything to loot," He nodded. "Surprised they don't want to tow it in for scrap."

"Prefer to leave it in place," She murmured as she listened. "A trap for unwary lawbreakers. Vultures picking over the dead."

"Sweet way of thinking," Riddick grimaced and she flicked her eyes over him with a half-smile.

"Not mine. Echoes of another's thought, found _Serenity_ doing just such a thing." The Reader said quietly. "Bridge crew…all routine… bait seems to still be in the trap…Don't see anything out of the ordinary, running a sweep just in case…"

Riddick was a wall of tension beside her, both of them fully aware that now they'd have no choice but to trust their precautions would be enough. River kept one eye on her handheld cortex as she listened to the crew of the Alliance ship. "Scanning now…" Her cortex gave a tiny chime, confirming the scan and she smiled. "No heat, no life, nothing to indicate scavengers. Purplebellies are sailing onwards. Didn't even pause."

Riddick's slow sigh of relief was heartfelt. "Guess it's not paranoia when they're really out to get you," He grinned at her. "Anybody else gonna come knockin'?"

She shook her head, the abrupt absence of tension almost making her dizzy. "We can take our time. Go through the crew quarters for anything of value. Doubt there's much, them being taken by pirates but something could have been overlooked."

* * *

 

Riddick chuckled as they squeezed into their airlock. A Knorr's cargo bay doors weren't overlarge, but they weren't small either. Besides the gen seed they'd scavenged, the parts and food, he and Kitten had found a treasure trove of personal belongings in the secondary cargo bay. She'd paused and frowned over the various cases and trunks and he'd known something was wrong.

"Belonged to the 'passengers' that they chained. Paid their passage… paid for the privilege of being chained instead of taken to the Rim to be settlers." Her scent was angry and he guessed it was because of that betrayal, similar to hers at the Academy.

"So people signed on to be passengers, and got taken for a ride by slavers, and the slavers got boarded by pirates, who took everyone, including the slavers, as slaves," Riddick parsed through her explanation and shook his head when she nodded. "S'pose they got what they deserved then. If someone catches up to the pirates."

She sighed, nodding her confirmation even as she looked over everything. "Nothing for it. Might find something of value. Best to move everything to the airlocks and move it all quickly while our ship heats up again. Cold starts aren't good for the engine."

So they'd busied themselves moving everything they'd found to the derelict's airlocks and theirs and now barely had breathing room in the small space while she booted the ship up again. Once the _Sanguine's_ doors opened moving back and forth transferring their finds kept them warm while the ship roused itself. The chill in the air didn't begin to fade until well after they'd left the derelict and fetched the crybaby from where they'd left it.

Riddick watched as Kitten picked up a boxy part meant for somewhere in the engine with a half-smile. "What's that?" He nodded at the part as he began to sort out the crates, trunks and bags.

"Reg couple," She turned the part in her hands. "Just…reminded me of something." She was still half smiling, part of her scent warm, matching her smile, while the salt of her sorrow threaded through her scent.

"Somethin' good or bad?" He began to pry open a crate. It would be time consuming to go through all the salvage they'd moved but worth it in the end. There were plenty of second-hand shops all over the 'verse and if they couldn't use it they'd sell whatever it was. And it wasn't as if they didn't have plenty of time in the Black.

"Bit of both actually," She put the part down. "You really want to know?"

He shrugged, "Gotta sort through all this junk while we sail towards Whitehall. Might as well talk while we do." Dog's whine of annoyance reached his ears, "Lemme let Dog out and then we'll get to work."

* * *

 

It took a few minutes to get Dog calmed down. The big animal never liked being alone on the ship and tended to sniff, lick and otherwise inspect his people when they returned to him. Kitten rubbed her hands over Dog's stripy coat and fluffy mane before patting him and sending him off to his box of sand. "Back when I was sailing with _Serenity_ , there was…a problem."

"If the way you maintain the engine so religiously is an indicator it was more than a problem," Riddick commented as he began to work on the crate again.

"Catalyzer on the port compression coil blew," Kitten told him. "I wasn't in my right mind, so I really couldn't help. I was, however, morbid and creepifyin' whenever I could be. Discomforted the crew. Tongue wagged without thought, no sanity to curb the flow." She began to go through one of the bags. "We ought to make piles, things we can use for certain. A pile for you, one for me, one for the ship, then a pile for women's clothes, men's and children's. Sundries we can figure out as we go or just make another pile for them and sort through it after."

"Catalyzer…" He knew just enough about engines to know that part cost next to nothing and was easy to find. "You didn't have an extra?"

She shrugged, "I never did find out why, though I'm sure they have more than one now. But I got the impression that money was tight and Mal'd been putting it off for some time." She pulled out a shirt, regarded it dubiously and put it in a pile. "Mal is a man of strong emotions…and his memories… He'd been recalling when he showed Zoe, the first mate, the ship for the first time." Kitten's laugh was affectionately amused, "Like any man in love, Mal only saw the high points. Zoe was less than impressed. She called it a piece of _zá wù_. And a deathtrap. Prophetic considering our situation at the time." Her voice changed as she quoted, "Ship like this, be with ya 'til the day you die." She smirked and added, "'Cause it's a deathtrap."

"And people sailed with the man voluntarily?" Riddick succeeded in getting the crate open and grinned at the sight of a tea set. It'd be worth selling if they couldn't use it.

"Not a bad Captain, just… on the raggedy edge." Kitten shrugged. "And that was before most of our allies were killed." She kept working steadily as she spoke. "It was…interesting…I'd get pulled into his memories of how he met each of the crew. Wash interviewed for a job, and Zoe didn't like him at first. He bothered her. Inara rented a shuttle from him, and bargained him down on the rent because having a Companion aboard would be of value to a ship of uncertain circumstance."

Riddick grinned, "Good for her. Heard tell there's planets in the Core won't even let you dock you don't have a Companion on board."

"It's true. Osiris is one of them." She nodded and held up a shirt to her front, nodding and setting it aside in her pile before throwing a men's shirt at him to do the same. "Color looks well on you, a good deep red. Put it in the pile and we'll wash everything once we're properly docked somewhere."

He nodded, trusting her word and did as she suggested. "So I guess the Captain and the Companion didn't get along?"

"Like two cats in a sack," Kitten grinned. "Always sparking off each other." She smiled, "They met Jayne when he and his crew tracked them down to steal from them. And they made Jayne an offer which he took. At the time Jayne took self-interest to a new level and he had a very direct view of the 'verse. If it affected him and it was bad, he didn't like it."

"Well who does," Riddick chuckled. "Guessin' he turned on his old crew?"

"Took their offer and never made a move towards mutiny but because he'd turned on his old crew, he was…suspect. Took Miranda for him to be fully proven to the Captain." She smiled slightly, "Made a few mistakes but once Jayne learnt a lesson it stayed learned."

"You said your brother and the preacher came aboard as passengers, and you got smuggled on in a box." He recalled. He frowned as he recalled how much she hated cryo when she was sane, he couldn't imagine how much more disorienting it would be when she was unstable.

"Yes," Kitten giggled. "And when the Captain met Kaylee she was…involved, intimately, with his ships mechanic." She paused and slanted him an amused glance, "In the engine room. On her back, under _Serenity's_ engine."

"In the…" He tilted his head, enjoying the scent of happiness she was exuding. "I can think of more romantic places, not to mention cleaner ones."

"Kaylee liked engines. Really, really, liked engines." Kitten explained, still highly amused. "Captain was irked at being parked on a rock for too long. Went looking for why. Mechanic was…not competent. But Kaylee had seen the trouble while she was on her back, and she fixed it. The reg couple was bad. Took it out and plugged the G-line right into the port-pin-lock and the engine began to turn."

"Sounds like she's a genius mechanic," Riddick whistled. "Not easy to keep an old ship running well."

Kitten nodded, her scent threaded with sorrow but her smile still curved her lips. "I'm a genius, I can learn…nearly anything. But Kaylee… machines just speak to her. Our engines, I can keep them running because they're simple. Because we've practically rebuilt them, so I know them in and out and if I needed I can make alterations with enough time to run the math. But it still takes me a certain amount of time to determine a problem, that's why I'm always running maintenance checks, so I catch anything before it gets bad. I'm good, but I'm not gifted like she is. Kaylee can tell just by listening to the engine what a ship needs."

"'Verse needs all sorts of geniuses Kitten." Riddick told her with a smile. "Dog an' I'll take you any day of the week."

Her smile was bright and sweet and he was glad he'd made the effort as the lines of pain around her eyes faded slightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So the salvage job went well despite a bump or two. I always thought that these two would be very careful regarding risk versus reward. Lots of preparation, lots of precautions. They've both got good reason to not want the Alliance to come sniffing around. Getting caught working 'salvage' when they're not licensed as a salvage ship would be very bad. Riddick has plenty of experience avoiding the law and River spent all that time on Serenity, she'd pick things up quickly once she got her sanity back. They're not perfect, but knowing that their lives would depend on the reliability of their ship, I figured they sank a lot of time and work and coin into making it what they needed. They're not quite on the raggedy edge but they're only slowly easing into something of a profit after nearly a year of partnership, because they invested so much in fixing up and fitting out their ship. Hence no body armor, salvaging everything they can and all those precautions.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> hún dàn (bastard)
> 
> Fèi wù (good for nothing)
> 
> zá wù (junk / items of no value)


	11. What A Hell Of Witchcraft Lies In The Small Orb Of One Particular Tear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'O father, what a hell of witchcraft lies  
> In the small orb of one particular tear!  
> But with the inundation of the eyes  
> What rocky heart to water will not wear?
> 
> What breast so cold that is not warmed here?  
> O cleft effect! cold modesty, hot wrath,  
> Both fire from hence and chill extincture hath.
> 
> -A Lover's Complaint, William Shakespeare

River looked up from the cortex she was building out of broken parts from Mr. Universe's sanctum as Riddick walked into the galley. She'd saved all the pieces in the hopes that she'd be able to salvage something and every time they set down on the moon she went through a few more pieces. "Set course?"

"Yep," He took a seat on the couch and she grinned at him as Dog came over and decided to flop down on his feet. It was a toss-up what Dog liked more, Riddick's boots or her pillow. "We'll want to hit a fuel station on the way to Whitehall but we're not too bad off."

River nodded, mentally calculating their funds, "Got a good price for the dolls. And a better price for the salvage." She considered a moment, "The rest of the salvage…sundries, bits and pieces, whatever we cannot use… will see what the cortex tells us as to who advertises a need. Might get a better price on the Rim to individuals than a second-hand shop. Be in the neighborhood anyway. Regina can use the protein bars and we still have the gen seed to sell to Patience."

"She send any word yet on her price?" Riddick was carving something, a shiv or the handle of one most likely. He liked to keep his hands busy and she'd teased him about downloading books on knitting so he could make her sweaters. That had made him laugh aloud which she always loved to hear. The idea of her big man holding knitting needles instead of shivs was an amusing picture. Though she didn't doubt he could use them to kill just as easy as he would a shiv, or, as he'd done before, a tea cup.

"Waved that she'll pay the going rate, but she'll try to bargain us down at gunpoint, at least she'll have that in mind, until she sees us." River shrugged. "Smart woman, good read of people. Once she sees us she'll rethink trying to take the goods. Set up for an ambush and will bluster but knows when to capitulate."

"Hate to think someone dumb enough to try and rob us is actually running a world," Riddick smirked. "Just don't set right with me." She half smiled, Riddick was practicing his Rim accent, in preparation for dealing with folks who might notice his normal way of speaking wasn't quite the Alliance norm.

"Doesn't run the whole world, just a big part of it." River set the cortex down and clicked a few keys on it, then brought her own online and began to transfer programs.

"You been workin' on that for a few days now," Riddick observed. "What's the point of it?"

She slanted a half smile in his direction, "Good to have a cortex that's disposable. Won't break easily, not unless I want it to. But this way, I don't have to take my good portable cortex or datapad with us. I can do the work from this and if it's broken, or stolen, a simple remote command scrubs the data banks and turns off the coolant fan. It'll set itself on fire." That got an appreciative smirk from her _bàng jiār_ and her smile widened to a grin. "We've been lucky so far, and careful, but I feel better using this…in the field."

Riddick nodded, his gaze thoughtful as he looked at the cortex and she tilted her head. His mind was full of questions, dancing around one core concern and she wondered when he would finally ask her what he wanted to know.

"How…thorough are the records? The star maps and such, that the Alliance has?" He was starting out slowly with his queries, reverting back to his old cautious way of doing things. She guessed it was partially because he didn't want to get his hopes up too much.

"The archives have all the information known to the Alliance," River explained. "I can access some of them from our cortex. But for very old information we'd have to go to White Sun and use one of the libraries there."

"Persephone's part of White Sun right?" He asked thoughtfully.

She made a face at him, he knew full well that Persephone was part of _Bai Hu_. "It is."

"Would the libraries there have access to the archives?"

River frowned thoughtfully as she considered the question, "They should. If there's something we cannot access…I might be able to husk it. Difficulty lies in how far out Furya might be." She explained, "The farther away from _Bai Hu_ the less likely records of the settlement was sent back to the archives. You know the Alliance, if they can't control it, they don't like to admit it exists." She looked at him, the silver eyes and muscular body that were somehow beyond anything merely human. "You want to do a search for Furya."

"That's the notion," he nodded. "See if I can get a line on it."

"Can do a search here and see if there are any tags that show us where the information is kept in the archives." River offered. "And…" It was her turn to hesitate before continuing, "I can try to do a deep Read of your mind. See if there's anything in your subconscious that will give us a trail to follow."

That got a sharp look from him and she realized he'd never even considered that was a possibility. "Could you get anything? I don't even know if I was born on Furya. Being left in a trash dumpster argues against it actually."

"Think we'd be able to get something, not sure what," River answered thoughtfully. "Even if they're just images from your dreams, might be able to match them to images on the cortex. Might have seen something similar before. Won't know until we try."

"Won't hurt to try," He nodded.

* * *

 

His mind was a wonder. Precisely but organically organized and almost meticulous in how his memories were stored. She'd read fiction that referred to a Mind Palace and Occlumency but until she'd gone into Riddick's mind she hadn't known anyone whose mind was organized like this. Well, except for her.

Of course, she'd skimmed his thoughts before, on Not Furya she'd Read him constantly, to anticipate him and to adjust her own behavior accordingly. Thankfully they were both adaptable. They'd never have gotten away from the mercs otherwise. And she'd Read him since then; he didn't seem to mind, of the opinion that if she didn't like his thoughts she could stay out of his head. The only effort he made to curb his mental processes was out of respect for the trauma she'd endured and his reluctance to inflict further hurt upon her. Everything else was fair game.

He'd snarled at her, when she'd referenced what she'd Read, reminding him of painful memories. Reminding her that simply because she could Read him didn't mean she had the right to speak of what she saw or heard. Didn't have the right to poke at wounds still healing. Even that he'd forgiven when he realized she wasn't doing it entirely on purpose. And once her mind and body had calmed, adjusted to relative safety, her tongue was more easily controlled.

But this, an in depth Read of his mind, delving below the surface of his thoughts to where his memories dwelt, this was new. And amazing. Beautiful. A bit disturbing at times, she'd never actually seen someone be eviscerated and his emotional reaction to it wasn't like anything she'd encountered. Satisfied, smug and dismissive. A threat eliminated. A triumph on his part. And then no longer thought upon. Filed away with the memories of other kills, all of them needful in their own way.

Out of curiosity she touched a big gauge shotgun with blue and red shells around it. A man's voice, with a twang similar to a Deadwood native's spoke and the image of blond hair and pale eyes filled her mind, " _Maybe to take what you got. Maybe to work your nerves. Or maybe to just come back and skull-fuck you in your sleep._ " Another voice spoke, a Dyton native, a woman with dark curly hair and light skin, " _He sounds like a charmer._ " Billy Johns Jr, and Shazza…last name unknown… Back on the planet with the monsters, where he'd met his Jack, before she became Kyra.

Turrets and spires, halls and parlors, a wealth of information, experiences and dreams. Everything carefully in its place. A painting on the trunk of a tree on the edge of a meadow drew her into a dream of Furya and she eagerly moved forward, all her attention upon the detail of it.

A blond woman with braided hair, feathers and beads wound into it like the ancient Natives of the Americas, stood in a field of golden grasses blown half to dust, bones around her in a mass grave. This would be Shirah then, the woman Riddick cursed even as he tried to follow her edicts. She stood like a queen, her mane of hair the only crown she needed, demanding Riddick's attention and obedience.

Her gaze was hard and cold, implacable and River retreated.

She searched as long as she could after that but slowly his mind began to close to her the further she went. His trust only went so deep after all, and his tension was growing, waiting for the pain to begin. With a sigh of effort, she withdrew and looked into his eyes.

* * *

 

He'd prepared himself for the throbbing agony he'd felt when the Greater Quasi-Dead had done their deep scan. After he'd become Lord Marshall he'd read up on them and found that the reason for that pain was the hemorrhaging they caused in the brain when a subject resisted their scans. Furyans bow to no man. Defiant until the end. It had never been in his nature to simply surrender and accept what was coming. He'd always had to fight, even if that fight meant capitulation and living to battle another day. It wasn't in his nature to simply give in or knuckle under. That he'd lived through it was something like a miracle. Escaping afterwards had been another miracle.

It took three miracles for someone to become a saint, at least that's what he recalled reading back when foster care was either indifferent check collectors or religious fanatics. But after that escape he'd been short on miracles. Everything afterward had gone so much to shit that he'd had no hope of a third. Even killing Zhylaw hadn't really bought him any peace or contentment. He'd had maybe a day or three before the demands began and assassination attempts after them once the Necros figured he wouldn't capitulate.

Kitten wouldn't hurt him if she could help it, but after his experience in the Necropolis on the _Basilica_ he couldn't help but think any deep scan was going to hurt like hell. He'd do his best to not resist, to let her in, but there was only so much he was willing to take in the name of finding Furya.

Cool fingertips had rested on his wrists, pressing lightly against his arteries and he could feel his pulse throbbing under her skin. Dark, soft, gentle eyes, as deep and dark as the Black, stared up into his fearlessly and he almost smiled. Her dark lips quirked slightly and she took a breath, slowing her lungs and matching his breathing until they were in sync, breathing as one and he could hear her heartbeat slowing down to match his. Until they were one heartbeat, one pulse, one breath.

Her voice was a low murmur, soft and tender, the gurgle of water from a spring, softly trickling over stones and rippling into a pond, peaceful, almost serene, "Look into my eyes, and let me See into yours. I am one with the Storm and the Worlds and the Swirl of Stars in the Heavens and I shall See."

He swore he could see the stars in her eyes, constellations born and dying, silver and white against black. He took another breath with her and everything but her eyes fell away.

Long quiet minutes of breathing, slow beats of their hearts together and a gentle touch, lighter than a kiss, brushing over his mind. Softer still, the barest stirring of a breeze, his thoughts and memories were examined carefully.

The silence was beguiling. The Greater Quasi Dead had been almost shrieking what they found to Zhylaw, a cacophony of sound screeching along his nerves to match the agony in his mind, blood boiling in his brain. Zhylaw had commanded them, his deep voice a drumbeat through the shriek, echoing the pounding of his blood. He'd never felt any pain like it, not even when his eyes changed, and slams weren't known for their gentle treatment of prisoners.

But this was the silence of empty rooms, an ocean in the doldrums without breeze or bird to draw attention. And still no pain. Just the feeling of her fingertips and a soft caress in his mind as her thoughts touched his. He'd never felt anything as sweet and beguiling as the caress of her mind against his. He could almost feel her care for him, taste the sweetness of her thoughts as she moved through the stronghold in his mind. Emotions were like scents, and she was a banquet of delight to his senses the touch of her thoughts connecting the two of them until he was lost in the pleasure of it.

He lost track of time.

That _didn't_ happen.

He never forgot where he was, when it was, no matter who he was with. It was a matter of survival.

Then he heard her take a deep breath and her fingers pulled away from his skin as she blinked.

"Sorry. Could not…" She shook her head. "Saw Shirah in his dreams. Images of Furya. Will try to enter search parameters based upon landmarks."

Riddick half smiled, "Didn't expect you'd find much Kitten."

"Maybe another time," She shrugged. "Might come across something that gives us another trail to follow."

"Maybe," Riddick nodded. "There isn't much I forget but it's possible something's buried in there." He looked at the clock, "Better throttle back and hit that fuel station. We've got enough to make Regina but I'd rather not put it off. Don't think Patience'll wait while we drift towards Whitehall."

"That she will not," Kitten grinned at him and set her cortex aside. "I'll start dinner if you'll see to the fuel?"

"You got a deal," He let a hand rest on her shoulder and gave it a careful squeeze. "Thanks."

Her smile and gentle nod let him know she understood exactly what he meant.

* * *

 

River looked over the co-ordinates Patience had given them and found them on the map of the area, tapping the cortex screen to make it give them a topographical map. "Wishes to meet in this valley. During prior meetings she has had snipers on the ridges, ready to shoot if the other party gets…fractious."

"Let's be a little late," Riddick suggested. "We can set the boat down right in the valley and do business under her. That'll stymie any but the best snipers, especially if we spot 'em before we land and angle the ship to block them."

"Good notion," River grinned as she found an area that would suit them, wide enough for the _Sanguine_ but narrow enough that it would make riding past the ship difficult. "Due at eleven hundred hours. Preparation for the job, load the seed, secure Dog… arrive at eleven hundred and fifteen?"

"Works for me." He gave her a smirk. "This should be fun."

"Can't kill everyone who tries to double cross us, or there'll be no one left in the 'Verse to do business with," She shook her head at him, giggling a bit as she rose from the co-pilot's seat.

"But I can kill enough of 'em to make 'em think twice," He called to her as she went to get started on the job preparations and River laughed again. Some might call him bloodthirsty, macabre or ghoulish, but his sense of humor tickled hers. Sardonic, dry and biting wit as sharp as his shivs, he always made her laugh.

* * *

 

Patience was an old woman, with leathery looking skin and long salt and pepper hair, more salt than pepper these days. Riddick eyed her and the three fellows on horseback alongside her and looked at Kitten.

"Patience should not try my _bàng jiār_ 's temper today," Kitten remarked casually as the horses drew closer.

"Just here to do business is all," Patience nodded to them both in what was a semi-polite manner.

"Yeah? Them snipers you got on either ridge for business? Looks more like an ambush," Riddick stared at the woman and could smell her nerves. She'd never seen silver eyes like his. Didn't know what they meant, only that they played on her worries, like prey in front of a strange predator her instincts were screaming. His slow, deliberately wicked smile did nothing to abate that sensation. He wondered if she expected to see fangs when he smiled.

"Just precautionary, in case you's to think to take the coin and the cargo with it," Patience was lying through her teeth but there really wasn't much else she could do. Not without giving away her own less than honorable intentions. From the look on her face this was the first time she'd been thwarted in this particular way and he made a note that she'd likely be more prepared the next time they did business. If they ever did business with her again. People who tried to double-cross them just made him want to sink his shiv into the sweet spot.

"Well the cargo's right here," Riddick nodded at the three crates of gen seed. "You hand over the platinum, four thousand square, an' we'll be gone."

Something of his annoyance must have shown in his expression, Patience shifted a bit uneasily as she spoke. "See now… four thousand seems a bit excessive, for seed I don't even know is any good." Patience was trying to haggle and he wasn't in the mood for it. His low snarl of irritation made the horses skittish and they shifted nervously under their riders. Dealing with people like this was a waste of their time and fuel. Even Kitten was getting aggravated, her scent twisting with it as she answered.

Kitten shook her head, "If Patience does not wish to pay our price then we will be gone. Other buyers offered five thousand plat but we were closer to Whitehall, thus Patience gets rights of first refusal." She stood, straight and slender next to the bulky crates and stared the older woman down. "Four thousand plat or no genseed. Your choice." He nearly smirked at her dismissive tones, his Kitten had a spine of steel and no one could stare her down. Sexy as hell.

Patience sighed and her gaze shifted slightly to the ridge lines, as if checking to see whether or not her snipers could get a good angle. Riddick growled a warning as Kitten took a step forward, teasing the snipers with a view of her side. "Can shoot them before they even squeeze the trigger," She warned the older woman. "Your reputation precedes you, Patience. We've heard how you like to take the goods and keep your coin. Your tricks won't work on us."

"What's to stop us from shootin' you down where you stand?" One of Patience's men, with a big mouth and small brain, blustered.

"Well," Riddick drawled as he drew his side arms and Kitten drew hers. "There's that." He couldn't help the smirk that stretched his lips this time. Nothing prettier than Kitten with a gun or shiv, nothing sexier than that look of 'try me and I'll kill you' on her gorgeous face.

"Shoot us and you'll find out which is the first of you to die." Kitten had one gun pointed squarely at Patience. "Or you could just pay us and go on your merry with your lives and the seeds."

Patience was stymied and she knew it. The bag of coin she threw down to Kitten's feet was heavy with platinum and Kitten crouched to pick it up without moving her eyes or gun from Patience.

"Go ahead, check it," Riddick spoke aloud more for the benefit of the group of idiots than his partner. "I got them." He eyed the group and found himself hoping they'd move, make some attempt, give him an excuse to scratch this itch for violence they'd caused. Thankfully the Wrath wasn't as sensitive to his irritation as it was his fury. He'd have to be in a killing rage for it to begin pulsing under his skin. Funnily enough, being around Kitten, he hadn't felt like that in a while. That was a good thing when he figured what the Wrath might do to a ship. They hadn't tested it but he doubted it would be a good thing.

She nodded and opened the pouch, a quick pour of the coin out onto the top of the crates revealed it was all platinum, no rocks or dross to fatten the purse. "We're good." She scooped the money back into the pouch and tied it to her belt backing into the cargo bay alongside Riddick. "You can retrieve your seeds after our doors are shut." She informed Patience. "Next time we do business, if there's a next time, you try this trick again, we'll just shoot you."

"I wouldn't mind shootin' 'em now," Riddick growled as he backed up into the bay and hit the controls for the doors.

"Don't waste bullets," Kitten admonished him and slanted a grin in his direction as the cargo bay door slammed shut.

"That went well," He remarked with a dark grin. "Still think it'd be more fun to shoot 'em."

"Next time." His little partner suggested. "Patience is not one to learn new tricks."

"Well now there's somethin' to look forward to," Riddick chuckled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So Riddick has met Patience. I don't think he likes her much. But then again, there are very few people Riddick really likes besides Dog and his Kitten/River. I think most people he can take or leave and the ones who try to cheat him he'd like to leave bleeding in the dirt. Can't say I blame him. I hope you enjoyed this. I'm hoping to establish a pattern of behavior with these two, lots of preparation, trying to take advantage of every opportunity they have and very protective of each other, neither of them really knowing why beyond 'my partner'. Of course even prior planning and paranoia can be stymied by something unexpected or plain dumb luck, so they won't have smooth sailing all the time. Next chapter we've got a bit of set up for something later in the story and after that… well… After that we meet some old friends.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> bàng jiār (partner)


	12. T'is Now the Very Witching Time of Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tis now the very witching time of night,  
> When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out  
> Contagion to this world.  
> -Hamlet, William Shakespeare

"You're sure he won't recognize you?" Riddick was more worried about it than she was.

River slanted him a reproving look, "She has already said certainty is not one hundred percent. Can only play the odds. Cosmetics, age and dress are all different. No longer a waif drowning in over-large clothing and long hair."

"I figure to let you act like the brains of the operation," Riddick told her more quietly. "Do my…what'd you call it, stupid rooster act?"

"You mean _daì ruò mù ji_ ," River grinned. "Dumb as a wooden chicken."

"Yeah that," He nodded. "Figure he'll see us and think brains and brawn, won't expect more than that."

"She will walk as if not completely comfortable with the weapon on her hip," She said thoughtfully. "Assuming he agrees to the meet."

"Job's still open, guess he will," Riddick nodded at the cortex. "Might as well see if he's willing to deal with us."

"Jon Richards, Lillian Alba," She murmured the names they were using and took the precaution of masking the ship's true registry. With a few keystrokes the name _Sanguine_ no longer appeared on the side of the ship or on the registry. "And now we are _The Albatross_ ," River took a deep breath and opened a channel, waving the address that had been posted with the job.

It should have felt anticlimactic, speaking to an assistant and discussing the particulars of the job. One cargo to be picked up at a skyplex, brought elsewhere and traded for other cargo, which would be brought to Niska's complex on Herschel, though that could change. The contact names were unfamiliar though the manner in which the assistant used them told her that they were familiar to Niska's people. That boded well for the smoothness of the job.

"Of course, you understand, Mr. Niska does not do business with anyone he has not met personally," The assistant began to end the conversation. "All this discussion is moot if you cannot meet that requirement."

River smiled coolly, " _Nà shi_. I believe we can fulfill Mr. Niska's prerequisites. When would he like to expect us? We're some ways out from Herschel."

"Mr. Niska will meet you in a day aboard the skyplex orbiting Ezra." The assistant keyed something into a data pad. "You will not be denied weapons but please be certain they are in full view of our security when you arrive."

"Of course," River nodded. "We will arrive in twenty-four hours. _Xìng huì_." She received a polite nod in return and waited until she was certain the wave was disconnected before sighing in relief.

"S'pose that could've gone worse," Riddick mused as he began to chart a course that would take them to Ezra within the day.

"What we expected but…" River shook her head. What she'd thought would be somewhat anticlimactic had not been so. Her shoulders were wound into knots and she rolled her head a bit to ease the tightness in her neck.

"Yeah," Riddick inhaled and she knew he was Reading her scent. "Know we can't always do business with nice people but… this guy has a very nasty reputation."

"Reputation is everything to him," River nodded. "Works hard to cultivate it. Fear of a name increases the fear of the thing itself."

"Heard that before," Riddick slanted a curious look at her.

Despite her nerves she grinned, "Work of fiction about a boy wizard. Old wizard says it in the first volume."

"Yeah, that's it," He brought up the charts on the cortex and tapped the fuel station near Ezra. "Figure we stop there along the way, refuel, then go to the meet. That way if things don't go well…we aren't on fumes trying to make a fast exit."

"We have the funds," River nodded. "Better safe than sorry."

* * *

 

Kitten had been a flurry of activity since they'd waved Niska's assistant. She'd cleaned the galley, the head and the passenger quarters even though the only thing in the spare rooms was a fine layer of dust. She couldn't work on the engine while they were in the air, not much anyway, but anything she could do she had been.

"Would you come down outa there?" He called up the ladder into the engine room. "You know damn well there ain't much you can do while we're sailin'. And at the rate you're going the only dirty thing on the boat is gonna be you."

Her head popped out of the trapdoor and he blinked to adjust to the upside-down face. Dog made a mournful noise and Kitten's irritated expression softened. "Have to keep busy. Brain works too hard on what if scenarios for rest."

"Right, I get that," Riddick folded his arms. "But we're six hours out and you ain't slept since we waved."

"Don't think I could sleep," Kitten shook her head but began to climb down the ladder.

"Why don't we spar some?" He suggested. "Or…lie down on the couch with Dog. You can shower when we're an hour out, get ready."

"Sitting with Dog is almost as good as sleep or meditating," She was clearly debating and Dog perked up at her mention of him, wagging his tail and rubbing his muzzle against her stomach.

"See? Now you got his hopes up," Riddick grinned. "Go on and lie down. Read something new on the cortex."

She sighed but her hands were automatically petting Dog as she moved towards the galley and the sitting area they'd set up on one end of it. Riddick nodded and mounted the ladder, grabbing the toolbox and slotting it into its place on the shelf nearby before closing the trapdoor as he climbed down. The boat Kitten had sailed on before, she'd mentioned the mechanic would leave tools anywhere. And technically it was unlikely that they'd be executing maneuvers crazy enough to send a hammer or wrench flying into the engine. It was also unlikely a tool hitting the engine would knock something out even if they did get tossed around.

Unlikely, but with the kind of luck they had sometimes, he'd rather not take the chance. Kitten chuckled and teased him about obsessive compulsive tendencies but in her own way she was just as bad. They each had their quirks. He needed to put everything in its place, neat and tidy, once it was done being used. Kitten had pinhole cameras and electronic eyes at every entrance and airlock so there was nothing on the boat she couldn't see in an emergency and every single door had a mag lock and a passcode a cryptanalyst would have a hard time getting past.

When he'd asked why she'd shrugged, "If we are boarded, we can seal ourselves into any room. Lock the ship down remotely if needed. Seal Dog into where he is. Open the airlocks and expel invaders. But to do so, we must know where each of us is, where Dog is. And we need control over all methods of ingress and egress."

Put it like that and he completely understood her reasoning. And when he explained his need for order she'd actually made a point of putting things back in the same place each time. Even in the galley when she was cooking, the lockers were organized, as were the pots, pans and utensils. Kitten was really rattled to not replace the tools and toolbox where they belonged.

He walked softly down the hall to the galley and looked towards the sitting area as he headed down to the lower deck and the cargo bay. Kitten was lying on her side, playing big spoon to Dog's little spoon, and murmuring to him softly. Likely telling Dog a story. She tended to treat Dog like he as a child sometimes, most often when she was in need of some reassurance herself.

He looked over the cargo bay, tightened a few straps and made sure the mule and cycle were bolted into place. That was another thing he and Kitten had worked out. Her old boat, cargo wasn't strapped down and the mule hung from the rafters of the hold. He hadn't liked that idea much, given it was only the two of them out in the Black. If the artificial gravity went out the crates would go flying and anyone in the hold would have a devil of a time getting clear without injury. He wasn't a bad medic when he put his mind to it, and he was sure she'd read enough medical texts that she'd be just as good as he was. But it was better to just not risk it. Artificial limbs were getting better and better but he'd rather not have to amputate a crushed leg or foot when some precautions would prevent the problems.

Kitten had gotten a thoughtful look on her face and the next time they were on Beylix she'd gone searching on the cortex and found cargo clamps. Bolted to the deck and the inner hull they'd keep cargo in place even if the gravity went out. Even Dog's box was bolted down, though it was easily unscrewed if they needed to move it or change out the sand. Between the clamps and old-fashioned buckle straps for oddly shaped goods the hold was as safe as they could make it.

The mule, cycle and lift mule were clamped into their places against the wall but with the addition of electro-magnets as a precaution. They'd gone back and forth debating the merits of each and finally bought both the hover mule and the workhorse lift mule when they'd gotten a deal on the two. The cycle was something Kitten had found and gotten very cheap, and he considered it hers more than his. He'd been skeptical but he had to admit, it was pure fun to ride that thing. Better than being on horseback and twice as fast. And when they wanted to get through a city quickly nothing could beat it. He and Kitten had worked damn hard to make sure the cycle was in working order and the mules had taken a solid four weeks of sweat and blood before they had been reliable. No way was anyone going to just waltz off with the results of their hard work.

That done he wandered back up to galley and took a seat in one of the chairs, leaning back and forcing his body to relax muscle by muscle as he listened to Kitten's soft voice telling Dog about some kids named Hansel and Gretel.

* * *

 

River knew she was spending an inordinate amount of time braiding her hair and winding it back into a chignon, but the meticulous nature of the task soothed her. Her eyes were outlined with kohl and the lids swept with shadow to play up the darkness of her irises. Not enough to be overdone but she looked like a woman, not a child. She'd tinted her lips slightly darker but done nothing to disguise the scar that bisected her lower lip.

Her clothing was as far from the over-sized dress as possible. A crisp long-sleeved shirt in grey, black cargo pants tucked into her boots and a wide belt to accentuate her waist. The shoulder holster and gun belt were buckled on and her side arms loaded and in their places. Normally she'd have a hidden blade on her forearm and another strapped to her thigh but since she was trying to give the impression she wasn't completely comfortable with weapons they would remain on her shelf.

"Shoulder holster or leave it off?" She called the question to her _bàng jiār_.

Riddick looked in the room from her doorway and considered. "Got two on your belt. Leave one off and keep the shoulder holster. That's what most folks start out with. And don't angle the waist holster for an easy draw. Straight holster is a greenhorn mistake."

River considered and took one of her belt holsters off and slid the remaining one around on the belt until she could reach it comfortably, but it didn't look well-worn in that position. "Don't want to look like a complete greenhorn. Wouldn't suit our reputation. Just…more comfortable with negotiations than gunfire." She explained as she made the adjustments. "Last thing we want is him taking a closer look at us than he already is."

"Makes sense." Riddick whistled for Dog. "I'll get him set up in my room. Meet you on the bridge."

"Will do." She nodded and replaced her holster and side arm on their shelf.

The portable cortex she brought with her and began to key locking programs into it as she moved through the ship. "Commencing lock down," She announced as she entered the bridge. "All personal quarters secured and encrypted."

Riddick gave her a half grin as he approached the station. "Figure on leavin' that up here an' lock the bridge manually?"

River shook her head, "Take it down to the cargo bay. Slot it into the wall near the doors. Lock everything behind us as we go." He whistled low under his breath over the level of precautions but didn't comment, not aloud anyway. "She has seen the results of Niska's…displeasure. Richard has not. She does not argue or comment on his precautions regarding mercs."

"Well gotta give you that one," He opened a channel as the cortex flashed with an incoming text wave, directing them to the dock with the flashing light over it. Whatever else Niska might be, he was scrupulous about keeping the skyplex in working order. The disguised _Sanguine_ docked soft and gentle as kissing a pillow.

"Gonna put her in sleep mode, not quite powered down, it'll make start up easier if we're leaving in a hurry," Riddick seemed to have caught some of her paranoia. Or maybe he was finally realizing that she wasn't joking when she called Niska a villain.

"Wise notion," River stood as he worked, moving to check the ladder and trapdoor to the engine room, nodding in satisfaction as it remained locked.

Doors slid shut behind them and clicked with the locks sealing off the upper deck and stairs. She frowned as they neared the cargo bay doors, "We are to be escorted. Five guards and the assistant."

She put the cortex in its slot on the wall, pressing it against the velcro and confirming the connection, as Riddick began to key the code to open the airlock. The door in the ramp hissed as it came unsealed and Riddick stepped out, already beginning his charade. "Lil, you comin' or what?" He called back.

"I'm right behind you Jon," River shook her head as she exited the ship and shut the door behind her, one hand adjusting her gun belt unnecessarily as she did so.

Turning around she bowed slightly to the assistant whose name still had not been given, " _Wǔ' ān_ , I am Lillian Alba and this is my partner, Jon Richards."

The brusque nod she received in return was in no way a match for her courtesy, "We will take you to see Mr. Niska now." Without another word he turned and began to walk, leaving them to match his pace or scramble to keep up.

River rolled her eyes at such posturing and made no effort to keep up with him, forcing him to wait for them at a corridor intersection or leave them behind. After several turns, some of them probably not needed, they arrived at Niska's office and the assistant knocked on the door.

* * *

 

Kitten was wound tight, though he doubted anyone besides him would be able to tell. She was doing that polite Core manners thing she did when she was feeling stressed. She'd told him once that when she was tense or nervous, the manners she'd learnt as a child were an easy disguise. Core courtesy was very elegant and stylized. To someone who didn't know her any stiffness in her manner would read as someone who'd learned those lessons later in life and did not quite have such etiquette ingrained as default behavior.

The door was opened by someone who could only be described as a thug. Not overly burdened with brains or manners, but big in stature. Riddick stared back at him coldly and before the idiot's mouth could start talking Kitten was walking past him bowing to the older man behind a gorgeous teak desk. Following her meant brushing past the thug which gave him a small amount of pleasure.

" _Shí jīng hèn wǎn_ ," Kitten nudged him gently in the side and as if remembering his manners, Riddick bowed a bit awkwardly. "I am Lillian Alba and this is my _bàng jiār_ Jon Richards."

"I am Niska, Adlai Niska," He was old, in a three-piece suit of the Western style as opposed to Oriental and had gold rimmed glasses on. The accent wasn't Chinese, more some other language, likely one of the old European ones that were dying out. He'd heard similar outside of the Alliance, on a planet called Munich. "I am pleased to meet you."

It wasn't quite a lie. But it wasn't the truth either. And the whole office reeked of blood and viscera so much so that his nose wanted to twitch. Riddick nodded, clearly deferring to his partner.

"We heard tell you have a job needs doin'?" Kitten asked with a half-smile. Polite but still getting the conversation moving.

"Ah, yes, to business. Time, it is money is it not," Niska clapped his hands together. "I have…looked into you, your ship, you have good reputation. Steady, it is said. And reliable."

"That's our aim," Kitten nodded politely. "We can't do a job, we'll say so up front. Some things, two people just can't handle." She spread her hands, indicating her helplessness. "You give us a job we can't handle we don't try to do it and make a mess. Looks bad on us and on you."

"Yes, this is why I wish to meet, to see if this is just talk or something solid," Niska nodded, pleased with her explanation, at least as far as he could tell under the stench in the room. Riddick wrinkled his nose slightly and the old man shifted slightly, his eyes going to Riddick thoughtfully. "I also have reputation." He hit a button under his desk and a door slid open in the wall and the stench came pouring out. A body hung there, entrails wrapped around his neck, barely alive.

Kitten stiffened and blinked slowly at the near dead person before deliberately looking at Riddick. He nodded to her, "Yeah, still alive. Ain't got long though."

"You do not like this thing I have done?" Niska's eyes were sharp on their faces.

Riddick shrugged, "Cain't say I'm eager to spend time in that room. Guess the fella did somethin' ta piss you off." He put a hand on Kitten's shoulder as if in support.

"I don't particularly enjoy the sight," Her voice was only slightly unsteady. "But like Jon said, you must have your reasons."

"Reputation, is talk, is gossip," Niska made iffy motions with his hands. "But you see this, you know, my reputation, also is solid."

Kitten nodded, "Hope you didn't go to all that trouble just to make that point for us." She smiled thinly, "Waste not want not."

Niska chuckled, "Ah, this I like. You, you have…pluck. Yes, pluck." He shook his head, "No, he is caught skimming from till. I do not tolerate sticky fingers." He handed them a memory crystal. "Here is information on job. Is…Is like the game of the ball under the cups, moving around."

"Shell game," Riddick offered as if pleased he'd thought of it.

"Yes, this is it, the shell game. Moving things about to hide where the treasure goes." He smiled avuncularly and gestured to the thug who handed a pouch to Riddick, "This is half now, the other half upon delivery. Details and timetable are on the crystal. Safe journeys to you."

"Thank you, Mr. Niska," Kitten bowed politely, and Riddick did the same if slightly less gracefully, following her lead. Clearly dismissing them, Niska sat at his desk and the assistant ushered them out and back to the ship.

* * *

 

She couldn't relax until they'd disengaged from the skyplex, letting out a long sigh of relief as she looked at Riddick. "Believes we are who we say, for now," She began to tell him what she'd Read of Niska's thoughts. "But will do more research on us, finds us…interesting."

"That ain't good," Riddick frowned. "He likely to find anything?"

"Hard to say," She shook her head, thinking over the possibilities. "Will depend upon how thorough he is, and if he has heard mention of either of us before. But made no connection between us and my old crew. So that concern is somewhat allayed."

"So basically, we gotta worry he's got a good memory for faces and might have seen sheets on me before," Riddick was thinking too. "Work you did on the cortex, you said it stymies the cameras and cortex, but anyone usin' their eyes'll probably make the connection. If he's got contacts with the mercenary guild he could get hold of my sheets and recognize me easy enough."

"He is correct in his summation." River rubbed her forehead. "To further complicate matters, we will have to be very careful if we do not wish to do business with him again. Dangerous to insult him."

"Money's good though," Riddick reminded her and one hand reached over and squeezed her neck under the knot of hair, rubbing at the tense muscles. Warmth flooded through her at his concern and she nodded her agreement. They had a good reputation for getting the job done, getting in and out cleanly, which was why Niska had given them work. But any small operation like theirs was prone to what Simon politely referred to as 'Cash flow problems' and thus no work they could reasonably do should be refused. They never knew when they'd get another job or if something would go so badly wrong that their savings could be wiped out.

"Payment is never not a factor," She slotted the data crystal into the cortex after engaging the firewalls and virus scans. "Crystal is clean, let's see how close we'll have to time this."

"We need to pick up the first round of cargo before we go to Regina to sell the dolls?" Riddick was looking at their fuel gauges and calculating how long before they needed to do maintenance on the engine.

"No…" She replied slowly still reading over the timeline and details of the cargo. "We pick up cargo at a space station, skyplex similar to his. Carry it while we do something else and trade it for more cargo on Boros, then bring that to Niska's complex on Herschel, or possibly back to the skyplex on Ezra. We must wave to determine final destination after we have traded for the cargo to be delivered."

"We can pick something up on Regina then? To be delivered to the skyplex where we're getting the first round of cargo," Riddick suggested. "Gotta be somethin' needs to be delivered. It'll look odd if we just show up to pick up cargo."

"He is right," River began to scan the cortex while he set the course for Regina. "Possibility on Ithaca… Here. Beaumonde has cargo of dubious provenance, to be delivered to the skyplex."

"Skyplex is halfway to Kalidasa system," Riddick noted. "Maybe pick up a few more jobs here and there?"

"Keep our eyes open," River agreed. "Better to have cargo than not. Though we could always pull another bank job."

"Those are fun." He keyed in the course. "Well we're on auto. I'll start checking our stock of ammo."

"Will do the same with foodstuffs." She nodded and watched, unable to stop herself, when Riddick stretched as he stood, his shirt riding up and muscles playing beneath his skin. "And let Dog out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Sooo… they've got a job from Niska. Any bets on how that'll go? I don't see these two as being particularly fussy about commissioned theft but they're also careful to avoid problems. So no stealing drugs for them. That doesn't mean other things can't go wrong.
> 
> I hope none of this is boring to read. I've got all this setup in my head and tying in the past to references in the present so I don't do an exposition dump isn't easy. Next chapter we'll run into some old friends on Regina… won't that be fun?
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> daì ruò mù ji (dumb as a wooden chicken)
> 
> Nà shi ((coll.) of course / naturally / indeed)
> 
> Xìng huì(nice to meet you)
> 
> bàng jiār (partner).
> 
> Wǔ' ān (Good afternoon! / Hello)
> 
> Shí jīng hèn wǎn (it is a great honor to meet you and I regret it is not sooner)


	13. As Soon Go Kindle Fire With Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pity the dearth that I have pined in,  
> By longing for that food so long a time.  
> Didst thou but know the inly touch of love,  
> Thou wouldst as soon go kindle fire with snow  
> As seek to quench the fire of love with words.
> 
> -Two Gentlemen of Verona, William Shakespeare

Riddick was finding he liked the Border worlds and Rim moons better than he did places like Persephone or Helios Prime. Most folks, especially the city dwellers, tended to mind their own business. If he dressed like a dockworker or a welder and let his hair grow out a day or two he was hardly noticed except as someone to be avoided. Even in places like Boros or Regina, no one paid much attention to him with a knit cap and goggles. Kitten had gotten him a set of tinted specs, retina masking so he could go just about anywhere and not stand out, even Persephone and Pelorum.

Kitten was better at it than he was. He'd watched her transform into a Dyton native, a citizen of Beaumonde, and a Rim woman from Deadwood complete with the appropriate accents for each origin. His own accent wasn't quite Rim, not Border or Core either. Kitten had told him his speech was closer to Core than Rim but his lack of Core etiquette was a dead giveaway that he wasn't native. With a little effort he could pass for Rim. When they'd begun to partner up Kitten had taken him to a couple of bars, scamming people into playing pool with her and talking in what he thought of as her Shazza accent so he could listen to the different styles of speech. Rim was a little lazier than he was used to. Kitten said the words and letters leaned on each other, and combined. He said 'ain't' easily enough but 'cain't' didn't fall off his lips so well without practice. So he and Kitten had practiced until he could run the scam at the pool tables and talk like he'd been born and raised on Deadwood or Lilac.

Part of fitting in was swearing more in Chinese than English, and he'd picked up a wide variety of curses, most of them from Kitten while they were working on the boat. She had an impressive vocabulary to that purpose, some of the expressions pure Rim, which she'd picked up from her old crew. Once he learned something he didn't forget it, and he'd actually had a lot of fun with those language lessons.

Thankfully being educated in the penal system, no matter which system of planets it was in, tended to lend itself to a Rim accent more easily than anything else. Once people got a look at his size and weaponry and heard him speak they generally figured he was some dumb gunhand and treated him accordingly. They usually ignored more than half of what came out of his mouth unless it was something they wanted to hear. But that had been true of his entire life, regardless of how he spoke.

There hadn't been too many people who even noticed his accent was a little…off. And thankfully the Alliance was insular enough that it didn't even really occur to them that he might be from the outer planets, beyond the Alliance Rim. Kitten had laughed when he'd mentioned it. "Failing peculiar to the Alliance?" She'd asked him after a day of him practicing his Rim talk.

"Nah," He'd grinned back at her, "Short sighted idiots in every system. Helion Prime's fulla folk can't see past their religion or their noses to what's out beyond their self-imposed borders."

"Silliness," Kitten had shrugged. "More likely to find questions on the Border or Rim, but not in the places we usually go. Dishonest folk know better than to ask questions. Honest folk…" She'd paused and he'd laughed.

"Yeah, we don't get much call to speak with honest folk do we?" They'd exchanged grins.

Every now and then he'd get a question or two, but saying he was from Georgia or Kalidasa system, depending on where he was standing at the time, usually satisfied anyone being overly nosy. If they pressed the matter he usually just stared at them like he didn't understand. That stymied them some. And Kitten was very good at distracting people from their intended conversational course. Usually before they asked the questions.

Normally they wouldn't split up but they had a lot to get done in the time they'd allotted and the biggest city on Regina was busy enough that they wouldn't be noticed. People coming through here were occupied with their own concerns. It was a hive of activity, a hub for outgoing traffic and incoming, trains and other transports going to the outer towns and mining camps while ships brought in goods and took off with raw ore. There were other ports on the planet but the bigger the port the less likely they were to be noticed.

Kitten and he had agreed that he would handle the ammunition and she would get the supplies. They were flush with cash since they'd sold off the crates of wobbly headed dolls they'd stolen a month or so ago. Why people were so fascinated with the damn things he couldn't figure but Kitten had just shrugged and said there was no accounting for taste. Or lack thereof. But unloading the dolls meant they could stock up on everything they'd need, within reason at least. Body armor was still out of their reach, though they'd both been scanning the cortex and any shops for affordable prices.

It was funny, he knew her real name, but he still called her Kitten in his mind. Maybe because River Tam was someone he'd only just met. It had been Kitten he'd met on Not Furya. It had been Kitten he'd taken on as a partner and Kitten he trusted at his back. He was glad she trusted him with her real name. But Kitten was his in a way River Tam wasn't.

He'd spent months with her, lived in close quarters and woke from sleep to the sound of her screaming her way out of a nightmare. And after they'd finally gotten _Sanguine_ space worthy he'd waved Petaline and asked her where he could find some sort of mind healer for Kitten. And a woman doctor who specialized in female parts who could make sure Kitten wouldn't have problems down the line. Petaline hadn't known, but she had contacts with a Companion who did. The Companion had passed on co-ordinates for a doctor and a Healer, what she called a Counselor, who specialized in helping victims of trauma. Apparently for all of the Alliance's vaunted 'civilization' people remained people and still did atrocious things to each other.

It hadn't been easy. Kitten had gone through hell. He'd gone through it with her, doing everything he could to bury his attraction to her, hoping to set her more at ease. He'd gone so far as to speak to the Counselor to be sure he was doing everything he could to help her. He and Kitten had sparred and worked out after her sessions, giving her a healthy outlet for her anger, and over time she'd healed. She didn't wake up screaming every night and twice every other night. The nightmares had faded and her smiles weren't haunted. At least not by what the mercs had done to her.

He'd asked, carefully, if his mind, his past and the nightmares he had, were a problem for her. He had a helluva screwed up past, starting with his birth and going all the way up to the time they'd met. But she'd shaken her head and told him his mind was more of a comfort than a burden. She knew how to block people out now, unlike her time on _Serenity_ where she'd been forced to feel and experience everything her crew did, right along with them. He'd been relieved, grateful that he wasn't making her troubles worse. He hadn't known then that the death of her brother and the potential reactions of her crew still haunted her.

But the pain in her, the agony that pulsed inside her was like a living breathing thing and it belonged to both River and Kitten. When she'd finally told him everything, she'd smelt of relief and fear, pain and a hope that was almost desperate to his sensitive nose. She'd looked up at him, tears streaking her face and he'd hadn't been able to say anything. He was glad he knew her name. It meant he'd be able to listen for anyone whispering it the same way they whispered his. He could guard her better, the way she guarded him.

So, he'd wrapped his arms around her more tightly, buried the desire that had been swiftly rising at the feel of her, and promised her silently that he'd never turn on her like that crew had. Shit might happen. Hell, bad things tended to happen around him all the time, but it wouldn't be her fault. Even if the Blue Sun Corp came after her again. Even if they figured out she was alive, if something happened it wasn't her fault. It wasn't his. It was the fault of the _fèi wù hún dàns_ who were coming after her. He'd happily take bullet wounds if it meant a chance at anyone who would carve into a kid's brain. Bullets barely slowed him down and he could get damn close while someone tried to take him out. Then he'd have their blood on his shivs, find that sweet spot and get a little bit of revenge for everything they'd done to her and would try to do again.

Her scent had blazed with trust and relief and he'd growled down at her in irritation when he realized she'd been half waiting for him to push her away. The idea that he'd abandon her was repugnant. She was his in a way that no one had ever been his, not even Jack. Jack had never trusted him with her past, trusted him to come back, to protect her. Kitten might have taken her time with it but she'd trusted him with everything. She'd trusted him to protect her, to have her back on Not Furya and every day they'd sailed together since. And he'd known she had a past, that it was just as full of crap as his was, even if she couldn't talk about it then. She hadn't tried to hide that from him. She'd trusted that he would be patient enough to wait until she could talk about it.

And just as important, at least to him, he trusted her. In his mind, at his back, she'd already proven herself. Unlike Jack on Crematoria, Kitten hadn't abandoned him when he dropped. She'd screamed at him to get up, pulled at him, did everything she could to save him. Kitten had proved herself over and over again. She was a true partner, brilliant and just as ruthless as he could be. She'd chosen him, chose to sail with him, chose to stay with him, to ally with him against the mercs. He hadn't ever had that, not ever in his life. He was a possessive son of a bitch and there was no way he was letting her get away from him. Hell, his _jī ba_ was still hoping to get inside her, no matter how unlikely that was.

It wasn't like there weren't things he hadn't told her. She probably knew them, like she knew about the Necros and Jack and Abu, but she didn't push him to talk. That was another thing she was good at, why he wanted her so bad, she didn't presume that because she knew something, and he knew that she knew it, that he'd want to talk about it. Not since that first day on the merc boat. But that was her Reading him and the two of them still not used to each other, even then, she hadn't pushed. She knew all his weak spots and she'd never once tried to exploit them, or manipulate him, despite her worries that she inadvertently would.

It was actually a relief, being able to be himself, cautious as he'd been about it their first several months together. She wasn't threatened by him having a brain, or him being a better pilot than she was. Or by his size or anything about him. For the first time in his life he wasn't hiding. For the first time since he was a little kid he didn't need to. If anything she encouraged him to do everything to the best of his abilities.

Riddick threw boxes of ammunition into the little carry basket and paused near the explosive rounds. It wouldn't hurt to pick up a box of them. He was mentally checking off his list at the counter and bargaining the clerk down for a bulk discount when the door opened again.

He inhaled deeply, testing the scent of this new person and nearly blinked in shock when he recognized that spicy scent. It had been more than a year since he'd smelled it but there was no mistaking her. Riddick rolled his eyes and paid the clerk. He grabbed the ammo and thrust it into his knapsack, before he turned and looked at the woman who'd walked in the door.

Not for the first time he wished he was a Reader. If she was here on the hunt he'd have to find Kitten, warn her to keep a low profile and beat feet back to the boat. She didn't seem to have noticed him, but then he wasn't the tallest guy on the moon. He was big and he was tall, but there were taller and bigger. The dead jamoke on Not Furya for example. And Dahl wasn't exactly an Amazon herself, seeing over the tops of the shelves was easier for him than it was for her.

There was no one else like him though. He'd never met anyone with his senses and abilities. Good for a lot of things but surprising mercs was the most common usage. Riddick smirked to himself as he rounded a shelf and stole up behind her, "You been keepin' it warm for me Dahl?" He murmured the question in her ear. His reward for surprising her was to nearly have his head butted as hers snapped back. Only quick reflexes kept him from a broken nose and her from a possible concussion. "Easy..." He muttered, "Ain't lookin' for the sweet spot Dahl. Just askin' how you been."

She turned and that cool tough beauty seemed to warm as she took in the sight of him. "Oh I've been good. But I could be better." She tilted her head slightly, that teasing smile he'd first seen in a merc station tugging at her lips. "So I already asked you once, sweet like. Do I gotta ask again?"

"Won't even hafta kill anybody first," Riddick grinned. "How patient are you feelin'?"

"Not very," Dahl hadn't even picked up a box of ammo yet but she started to leave the shop. Riddick followed her out and when she paused on the stoop he turned to the left, towards the alley. This moon tended towards hurricane level storms, rare though they were, and so they made their buildings of brick, stone and concrete. Sturdy enough that they'd hold up to the pounding he'd give her. And the sight of two people going at it in an alley wasn't so uncommon in a port town that they'd attract looky loos. He was vividly conscious of Dahl at his back, but for once she wasn't thinking like a merc.

"Good," He responded to what she'd said finally, dropping his bag at his feet and tugging her behind some crates and barrels. "Because I'm not taking you back to my ship and I sure as shit am not going to your room." Riddick pressed her against the brick wall and slid his palm up from her waist to her breast, giving the soft flesh a careful squeeze. Best to go a little easy until he was sure how much she could take. But he unhooked her weapon harness from around her waist and shoved it off her shoulders none too gently, freeing her body from its corset like grip.

"Geez Riddick, I'm not a fuckin' china doll," Dahl hissed and tugged his shirt out of his pants, unbuckling his belt. The growl that rose in his throat was pure reflex as his dick hardened in reaction and she paused until it became obvious to her that the noise wasn't a threat but approval.

"Good," He began to do the same to her, pushing her cargo pants down, and the figure molding shirt up. She was bare beneath it. Soft flesh, darker nipples puckered and teasing his mouth. He lifted her slightly, held her in place with his hands and sucked one hard tip into his mouth. God, salty hot flesh in his mouth, the sound of her guttural moan of pleasure in his ear was almost perfect. And the scent of her wetness in his nostrils had him hard and ready so gorram fast it was ridiculous. It had been a while since a woman had wanted him and hadn't been paid to spend time with him.

Her hand had unzipped his pants and found his cock, stroking and tugging impatiently. Riddick nearly groaned as Dahl hissed in his ear, "Stop teasing and fuck me Riddick. Go balls deep like you god damned promised me you would."

It crossed his mind that maybe this was what he needed. A woman, an honest to god woman who wasn't a whore, to make him stop lusting after Kitten. Dahl wasn't being paid for this, it wasn't a performance. She wasn't even afraid of him at the moment, though that might come later. Whores tended to be a bit wary until they'd spent a little time with him, realized he wouldn't demand more than they were ready to give. Professional habit to be cautious he guessed, but Dahl wasn't a whore and seemed confident in her ability to take whatever he could dish out. He pushed his hand down to her panties and felt how slick and hot her folds were around his fingers. His patience expired at that point and he ripped the fabric open, twisted his hips and in one thrust plunged deep inside her.

Dahl was bracing herself against the wall, pushing against him, fucking him as much as he was her and Riddick groaned. He slid his hands up her legs, held her hips, squeezing as he began to piston in and out of her. "More," She groaned into his ear. "Fuck me Riddick, fuck me hard, fast, and don't stop."

She was a demanding woman, Riddick would give her that. So he stopped holding back. His fingers might leave bruises on her hips, and his mouth was definitely going to leave some red marks on her breasts, but he was going to give her the ride of her damn life. She was hot around his dick, wet and pulsing around him already. He could feel her, ready to come around him, even as he kept pounding into her.

He felt it, the moment she lost control, her rhythm faltered and she shuddered against him, a wordless cry wrung from her lips as she came around his ruthlessly pumping _diǎo_. It felt so impossibly fucking good. Riddick groaned and slowed his pace a moment to make it last for her. Her heels dug into his ass and he felt her fist pound his back, "Don't you dare fuckin' stop." She almost snarled in his ear and he huffed a laugh against her breast and decided to move.

Dahl moaned her protest when he withdrew from her body and pulled her away from the wall. A kick of his boot and a crate fell onto its side. Riddick pulled the rest of her clothes off, turned her around and bent her over the crate. "I wanna feel that tight _yīn xué_ around me even deeper," He growled in her ear as he pushed inside her from behind. "So _tā mā de_ hot Dahl. You wanted it. How do you like me bein' balls deep in you?"

"God yes," She groaned as his hands slid up to squeeze those full breasts, fingers tugging and pinching her nipples as he began to pound into her again. "Don't stop. So good."

"Yeah, you are," Riddick was determined she'd come at least twice more. He'd make her think it over before she started hunting him again. If she ever tried to put him in a slam there was no way he'd ever give it to her like this again. Dahl moaned deep in her throat and he felt her body tightening around his cock again. It was going to feel so damn good when she came around him. He was so deep inside her this time.

She didn't quite scream, bit down hard on her knuckles to bite the sound back and he almost chuckled as her body clutched around him. He groaned at the force and feel of it and banded his arm around her body, one hand on her breast while the other slid down to her clit. Her breath hitched, caught and came out in a near sob of pleasure as he began to tease and tug at that sensitive little bud of burning flesh.

He was getting close; he could feel his balls drawing up, ready to spend in her, and couldn't stop himself. He ground as deep as he could before he withdrew and slammed forward again, rotating his hips. The heel of his hand pressed to her belly, compressing her body so every sensitive spot inside her rubbed along the length of his _diǎo_ buried in her pussy.

Dahl was gasping now, harsh panting cries as he drove into her over and over. She tried to rear back, tried to turn, but he wasn't having it. She'd wanted a fuck and she was going to get it but good. The struggle was fun though, even if she was uncoordinated with pleasure. And then it hit her, like a tsunami hits the shore, her orgasm swept over her body, beginning deep inside her and radiating outward. Riddick groaned as she began to come, tight, wet, grasping his cock, and slammed deep inside her once more before he shuddered and gasped in relief, his forehead bent to the nape of her neck as he felt his seed streak out of him, fire and need and release like a furnace exploding out of him.

She was breathing hard under him and he forced himself to move. Pulling out of her was almost painful she was so hot around his prick. Lifting her up again easily Riddick turned her over so she was on her back. Her skin was darker in some places, from his mouth or his hands, and that just made him want to do it again.

Dahl was reaching for him, her hands sliding up his arms even as he bent over her body and took one tight nipple in his mouth. She nearly bucked up against him her legs wrapping around his waist, pulling his rapidly quickening body closer to hers.

Her breath was coming in pants, gasps for air as his mouth pleasured her sensitive nipples. He ghosted his hands over her skin, finding all those sweet spots, the soft skin of her belly, the tender flesh over her carotid. Her hands had found his _jī ba_ , her fingers wrapped around him, pumping him to full readiness again until he was groaning against her flesh.

He wasn't careful this time, she'd proved she didn't like that, so he rammed hard into her and nearly saw stars as she came hard around his cock. Her body drew his deep inside her as her slick walls vibrated around him. Riddick groaned and began to fuck her as hard as he could, his hips slamming into hers with crude, raw, slapping sounds that left no doubt as to what he was doing to her.

She seemed to like it rough, the harder he ground into her, the wetter she got. He covered her breasts with his hands, palming the soft mounds and felt her body gathering for another storm. God she was starved for it, as hungry as he was, desperate to lose himself in the frenzy. He could forget everything, narrow his focus down to this woman, her tight pussy, soft breasts and _gāi sǐ_ sweet moans and gasps.

He was getting close, it had been too long, too much time on a boat with the one woman he couldn't touch. Too much time wondering about her while she slept. Too much time wanting soft white skin against his and dancer's legs wrapped around his waist, to feel a long fall of silky hair on his skin and in his hands. And not enough sex with her to ease the need. Riddick cursed mentally as thoughts of his Kitten invaded his mind. Dahl's legs tightened around his waist as he slammed their hips together and he groaned. She was moaning, demanding more and more and he was more than pleased to oblige.

His body was almost ready, he could feel his cock, hard as stone, ready to burst, slamming his hips to Dahl's in hard, short snaps before she almost screamed again. Her legs clamped tight around his waist, pulling him even deeper, her body quaking under his and Riddick bit back his moan. God, it was like fire and fury, every muscle in his body clenched and spasmed as his own orgasm slammed through his body. Like a shiv to the sweet spot, he felt his seed fountain out of him, spilling himself into Dahl in a long agonizing burn of ecstasy.

It left him trembling for a moment and he was grateful he'd fucked Dahl speechless and shaking, limp and spent under him. He drew a breath, forced himself to draw another and pulled out of her body. If Dahl was anything like any other merc he had about five minutes before the money part of her brain kicked on. He did up his pants and belt, didn't bother to tuck in his shirt and grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

Only then did he help Dahl stand up, picked up her shirt and pants and held them out to her. She took them, her hands shaking a bit and began to pull the pants on first. Riddick took a cautious look behind him before he handed her the shirt. When she began to pull it over her head Riddick waited until he was sure she would be all right and began to head towards the end of the alley opposite the way they'd entered.

"Hey," Dahl called after him, her head popping out of the shirt. Riddick stopped but he didn't turn around. Dahl continued after a minute, "You know this can't change anything?"

Then Riddick did turn and look at her, "If I thought it did, I'd be stupid. Stupid I ain't. We both got what we wanted. An' my creed ain't greed. So I'm out. You see me again, you'd best ask me sweet like and real quick, else I'll think you're comin' for another reason. And I won't hesitate."

She'd jerked her head in a nod and he could smell a whiff of fear coming off her at the thought of hunting him and having it turned around on her. Riddick had headed towards the docks in the most roundabout way he could manufacture. By the time he got to the ship it was full dark. Kitten was waiting and her face and scent were...odd. "Need to go." Was all she said, shutting the airlock behind him. "Mercs in town."

"Yeah, I saw Dahl. She ain't gonna follow us, not this time." Riddick nodded and strode across the cargo bay cursing to himself. He was well and truly fucked.

He'd just been balls deep in a woman. A real woman not a whore, not someone he'd had to pay. Dahl was fresh in his mind, he'd spent himself inside her twice, rough and tumble and she'd urged him on every minute of it. And compared to Kitten, she was nothing. Curves were nothing without a dancer's grace. A blonde's coloring was faded and bleached out compared to the wealth of contrasts of a brunette Core beauty. A merc's cunning couldn't compete with the intelligence of a true genius. And being handy with a sniper's rifle paled against Kitten's brilliance with all sorts of guns, shivs, axe and sword.

The romp he'd had with Dahl had been the most satisfying bout of sex he'd had in months. She'd been responsive, willing and ripe. There'd been no doubt of that. But the minute he saw his beautiful little partner it was as if he hadn't seen a woman in years. Riddick sighed. He was well and truly fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: A day early but tomorrow is my anniversary so I won't be able to post.
> 
> Sooo… what did we think? Were these the old friends you were expecting? And do we want to smack Riddick in the head to wake him up? We'll get River's perspective of the events in the next chapter. How do you think she'll reacting to what Riddick did with Dahl? And who do you think she'll meet?
> 
> We also got a little insight as to why Riddick's manner of speaking changes from time to time and why he's started using more Chinese to curse. I've always thought of him as supremely adaptable, he wouldn't survive long if he wasn't, so having him pick up various curses and affecting a Rim or Border accent didn't seem so far-fetched.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> fèi wù hún dàns (good for nothing bastards)
> 
> jī ba (dick)
> 
> diǎo (cock)
> 
> yīn xué (vagina-crude)
> 
> tā mā de (fucking)
> 
> gāi sǐ (damned)


	14. Their Currents Turn Awry, And Lose The Name Of Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,  
> And thus the native hue of resolution  
> Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,  
> And enterprises of great pith and moment  
> With this regard their currents turn awry,  
> And lose the name of action.
> 
> -Hamlet, William Shakespeare

River had not expected to see familiar faces as she went shopping for food supplies. Part of her expected _Serenity's_ crew to follow her, to somehow know where she and Riddick were going. But the practical part of her brain reminded her that she'd been the reason they had more than half of the inexplicable knowledge they possessed. Emotionally it made no difference, she still expected to see Mal's face and long Browncoat coming around every corner. Every pair of bright blue eyes brought back the idea that Jayne had somehow tracked her. The whine of a Firefly's engine sent her ducking around corners.

She'd seen the faces, recognized them and nearly panicked for all the wrong reasons before she took a breath. Then she'd almost panicked for the right reasons. Because if Johns and Luna were here that meant Dahl (and her sniper rifle) wasn't far away. And that meant Riddick, her big man, her _bàng jiār_ was in danger. The creed was greed after all. He was worth more dead than alive. Far more.

River flung her mind outward recklessly, seeking Riddick's thoughts. Her big partner was bargaining at the store that sold ammunition. And then he saw Dahl. So he was aware of the complication. He'd do what he had to in order to get back to the ship safely. She'd better distract Johns and Luna. The beginnings of a plan germinated in her mind as she considered her options and the likelihood of the mercenaries' reactions.

She reconnected her mind with Riddick's as she walked slowly towards the store. He had snuck up on Dahl and he was... River gasped, her breath sharp in her throat and stopped. She leaned against the brick of the wall and shuddered. Riddick was busy with Dahl, going balls deep, and enjoying every minute. And it hurt, more than it ever had when he'd sought out whores. She'd understood that, intellectually at least. She'd ached for him, wishing she could be what he needed in every way but she hadn't been ready. She hadn't known how to tell him what she was feeling. Hadn't been able to Read whether or not he'd even welcome her attentions once she was completely healed. She couldn't even be sure her well-being was stable.

She'd found such comfort in his mind and abilities, that knack he had for practicality and survival above all else. His intellect was equal to hers in his own unique way and she'd never had a better friend. It was only so recently that she'd been able to relax and enjoy her partner and how he looked and hope that they could be more than just partners. Had she taken too long to heal?

The lust he was feeling, the physical need, it was like a shock that he could feel so much. She'd known he was a man of deep feelings, of powerful emotions, but he was also ruthlessly controlled. He wouldn't let his feelings get in the way of survival, with only a few exceptions. Riddick kept those emotions and needs repressed almost violently when he was around her determined to never hurt her. And now... River wrenched her mind away from his and forced her breathing to even out. The absolute misery she was feeling was all out of proportion to her partner screwing Dahl to a wall in an alley. Especially as she'd known of his attraction to the merc, he'd propositioned her while in chains, even when he was being lifted to safety. Why was she so surprised and upset?

" _Shǐ niào_ ," She muttered as the growing realization of why she was now so completely miserable hit her like (as Jayne would say) a shit-ton of bricks. "Shit, shit, shit," She nearly growled the words. "You're... oh that _gǒu niáng yǎng de_." River shook her head. She didn't have time for a meltdown or a crying fit or even a small crisis of affection. She had to distract Luna and Johns. Time to calm down and act as if she hadn't seen Riddick in at least nine months.

She checked her satchel for the cloth bags she used for the food supplies and walked into the shop. There was work to be done along with the distraction. She was not heading out to Beaumonde and dealing with the Rample twins with only molded protein in her belly. Selecting foodstuffs was soothing. When she had everything, she'd come to purchase she discovered the spice selection and grinned in appreciation. Rosemary, coriander, oregano, basil, sage, thyme, parsley and cinnamon, even lemon zest, salt and pepper corns. She'd happily give up some of her coin to replenish her spices. If the town hadn't been home to a major port she doubted the store would have had half the supplies she needed. But travelers would, as she was doing, stock up after dropping or picking up cargo before they headed out to the Black again.

Luna and Johns were talking about some of the simpler foodstuffs, meals in a bag, MREs Riddick had called them. With spices they were decent and she thought for a moment. She could pick up a few, things that Riddick wouldn't mind eating and show him how to use some spices to make them palatable. She wandered over to the aisle and was carefully perusing the selection and adding a few meals to her bags when she heard Luna's voice exclaim in surprise.

When she turned she could feel both their minds, Johns and Luna, filled with speculation and curiosity. "Mr. William Johns," She nodded politely, "Ricardo Luna." River tilted her head and decided it wasn't uncalled for to be a little spooky. "Joined Johns' crew, more to your taste than Santana's clan. More what you'd hoped for when you decided to become a merc. Believe you are on the path of the righteous man, and ignore all the bad you've done. Hunt down the killers of men, despoilers of women, hunt the men who would set fire to a church as a distraction for escape, uncaring of those inside."

Luna's face was a study in shock as River turned and looked at Johns, "Still hunting, always hunting, not answers but a man this time." She gave them a half smile, "Wanted for murder on Beaumonde, escaped en route to the prison camps." She studied the image in John's mind and shook her head, "Don't know him, haven't seen him. But the mining companies to the west are a good place for men to hide. The dust and grime of the mines covers the face. Everyone on planet courts Bowden's Malady, even those who have never been in a mine. Your man will not remain long once he learns this."

She could feel Luna's realization that she was more of a Reader than a Seer, that Clairvoyance was part of Telepathy and true Precognitive visions were more rare, "You were lying? The entire time?" He sounded surprised and reproachful and angered at her deceit underneath it, self-righteous and believing her lies were sinful. Thoughts like hammers against her mind in their rage; disturbing and obsessive.

River looked at him and shifted slightly, she was a far cry from the beaten victim of Santana's crew. With Riddick's help, time and therapy via waves with a Counselor she'd healed physically and mentally, and now she looked like what she'd been before they caught her, a gun-hand. A woman who wore long sleeves to hide the knives on her wrists and pants because they were harder to remove if a man ever thought to take her by force again. She was still thinner than was completely healthy, she'd heard Riddick worrying on it more than once, but she wasn't anyone's victim anymore. "Did he expect otherwise?" She laughed slightly, a cool chuckle as unlike her laughter with Riddick as ice was unlike spring water. "The boy Santana took on as a sacrificial lamb, but somehow he stayed alive, survived until Santana thought of him as a good luck charm. And helpful with the girl, able to calm her, interpret her."

"You're not really a Seer. You're like...a Reader. You were lying, deceiving me for more than...sixteen months," Luna was fixated on that, and resentful, while Johns was simply looking at her curiously.

River speared the younger merc with a look so cold his balls should have shriveled. Even Riddick quailed a bit when she wore that expression, "Why would I tell you anything I didn't have to in order to stay alive? I was raped, repeatedly. Beaten and half starved." She put her free hand on the knife strapped to her thigh and pulled it, twirling it in her fingers thoughtfully as she continued to stare at Luna. "I begged you for seven months to let me go before I gave up and realized you were just like any other merc, regardless of your motives for becoming one. I didn't, and don't, owe you anything. You're lucky I left you alive. Just a _gǒu tuǐ zi_ who _wèi hǔ zuò chāng_ ," She added with a curl of her lip.

"I never hurt you," Luna protested. "I took care of you."

"Like a pet," River agreed and sheathed the knife again. Better not hold it while her hands were itching to open up his throat. "Like a thing. Because I wasn't a person to you. To any of them. I was a useful thing. The girl."

"What is your name?" Johns asked politely, "Since you know ours?" His bright blue eyes were thoughtful as he studied her.

"I go by Lil, these days," River shrugged. "It's simple." She gave him a slight smile as she Read the thought in his mind that she looked better, healthy and pretty. "I am better, thank you. The Captain saw to it that I had access to a Counselor for therapy, and a proper doctor, when he learned what I had been through. The crew I'm with now, we eat well, even if I cook most of it," She indicated her bags. "I serve as a gun hand, backup pilot in emergencies and engineer as well as the cook most often. The Counselor...helped me to deal with the memories of what was done. I have a bunk to myself with a locking door and no one on my ship would ever hurt me."

"He help you with that?" Johns tilted his head. His brain was still trying to figure out Riddick. Part of him wanted the bounty, though he wouldn't ever go after the double amount Riddick's head would bring. But he couldn't figure out why River had chosen to sail with Riddick instead of him. Unless it had been Luna's presence and Dahl's remarks at the end of that hellish night on planet that had driven River off.

"He and I parted ways after several months, but yes, before he left he made sure the crew I signed on with smelled all right to him," River nodded. "What I couldn't suss out, he did. He wanted to be certain I was as safe as I could be." Another MRE caught her eye and she picked it up, "Chicken Marsala." She looked at Johns, "Is this any good?"

"You add enough salt it's decent," Johns wrinkled his nose and River put the meal back. "So you haven't seen him since?"

"For all intents and purposes, he vanished," River said truthfully. That was accurate; she'd made sure of it. "He might have even gone back to that world." She frowned slightly, "Mr. Johns, I would never have gone with you. Even if Luna had been dead and Dahl had not teased me in those last hours, I would never have gone with you."

"Why not?" Johns wondered curiously, "My crew never hurt you, Dahl tried to help as much as she could."

"Because the creed is greed," River said softly. "Because you are mercs. And not one of you ever thought to unchain me. To give me freedom. It never even crossed your mind until Riddick was unchained. Even when you couldn't find me in all the logs and guild databases. When you couldn't find any evidence of my crime. Just like you don't know what he did to be thrown in prison, the prison from which he first escaped. You don't ask the right questions."

"That's not what I do, not what I'm paid for," Johns shook his head. "I go after men and women with bounties on their heads. They've broken the law so I hunt them."

River gave him a rueful smile, "I broke no law. If I had you'd have found a record of it, because even the best husker can't erase every record and file. Neither had he broken any law until he escaped." She shrugged, "He never even got a trial in a court. They just threw him in jail, for the crime of trying to change the system. For trying to tell the truth."

"He told you a lot before you two split up?" Blue eyes were thoughtful as they studied her.

"He didn't have to say much," The Reader shook her head. "Not to me." The boss merc's realization that she'd simply Read Riddick's mind had his eyes widening in horror. River couldn't help the laugh that spilled from her lips. "His is not the worst mind I've touched. After Santana, Riddick's mind was like a wellspring of beauty. Clear and controlled, his thoughts are organized. And he never once thought of touching me against my will. Not even when he watched me bathe. Nor on that ship for the months we traveled together afterwards."

"Pervert," Luna muttered.

River shot a dirty look at him, "He looked, admired, but didn't touch. Would never touch a woman unwilling, not even a merc woman. While you just stood by and watched as men raped me over and over again, while I screamed and begged. And lusted in your heart. Your Bible says to think a sin is as bad as committing it. Even when Santana would have beaten and raped me in front of all of you in that station you did nothing to stop it. _È yǒu 'è bào_. You are just as _è guàn mǎn yíng_ as you believe he is. Worse than Santana, pretending you are _guāng míng zhèng dà_." She sneered, "Consider your thoughts and your Bible and then think of how little you are like Riddick."

"You're telling me, the most wanted murderer in the systems never even thought of touching you?" Johns sounded a little disbelieving. He was mentally setting aside her assessment of Luna for now, she could hear his resolution to consider it in more depth later, after he'd consulted with Dahl, and concentrating on the question uppermost in his own mind. Her safety around Riddick.

She shrugged and smiled slightly, "Of course he thought of touching. But only if I welcomed his hands." Johns' expression was still confused and she elaborated a bit, "Rape is anathema to him. He doesn't understand it, not in his heart. The act is for pleasure, for procreation. Turning it into an assault is beyond his capacity to comprehend. You all call him a savage, an animal. He's Furyan. A spirit warrior whose animal side is what gives him his power. You won't ever find him. He is not a man as you think of him. So he cannot be found."

"So, he's a mass murderer but he won't touch a woman against her will," Johns sounded slightly reassured by that thought.

River nodded, "Exactly." She looked at Johns, "And now I will claim repayment of the debt you owe me."

"I owe you?" Johns huffed out a half laugh and shook his head. "What do I owe you for?"

"If Santana had killed the Dog, no tranq in the world would have kept Riddick from killing all of you," River told him flatly. "And a bloodbath of men who'd never touched me was not in my plans of escape. I took a beating and was nearly raped again. But I kept all of your crew alive. At least until the storm came."

Johns frowned, "So I owe you. And what do you want?"

"I want you think, of the last time you heard of Furya," River said softly. "And then farther back. All that time in cryo. All that travel. Times past, growing up before the Necros became a concern, cryo keeping you young while the stars burned in the Black and the worlds spun around you. Worlds upon worlds upon worlds spinning. I want you to remember anything you heard, any rumor or legend, about Furya." She frowned, listening intently as Johns began to cycle through his memories, trying to find anything.

"I don't—" Johns began to shake his head.

This wasn't something Luna had ever seen her do before, though she'd certainly had the capability even traumatized as she'd been. A deep Read would have given the game away and she'd needed them to think she was a PreCog, not a Reader. Conscious of Luna's seething expression and self-righteous thoughts, River took a swift step forward and caught Johns face in her hands, before the younger merc could say anything, "Look at me." She commanded softly. "Look into my eyes and let me See into yours. I am one with the Storm and the Worlds and the Swirl of Stars in the Heavens and I shall See." She intoned gently, the mnemonic that always put her into the light trance that enabled her to delve into a mind and Read the deepest most hidden memories.

Long moments of slow breathing and Johns' thoughts about the softness of her fingers, the sweetness of her face and the dark depths of her eyes as he stared in fascination, before she was done. He wasn't as aware as Riddick was, didn't even feel her in his mind, looking for any information about Furya. He didn't trust her as Riddick did, but it didn't matter, his mind was open and only cursorily organized. Sadly, her search came to nothing.

"Did you find anything?" Johns asked as she released his jaws and took a step away from him. "I couldn't really...tell."

She smiled, "You haven't heard much of Furya beyond what I told you. Legends of a world lost before you paid attention to such things." River gave him a bow of respect, "But thank you for allowing me to try."

"What would you do with it, if you found anything?" Johns asked quietly. "If you're not with Riddick anymore?"

"If I ever see him again, I wish to be able to say that I made the attempt. That I tried," River tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. "After all, if not for him, I would still be a slave, wouldn't I?" She cast a cold look at Luna, "I'd best get back to my ship. My captain will worry."

"If you ever—" Johns was looking almost embarrassed, a strange look on such a confident man. "I mean, if you ever need, you know..."

He was trying to offer help, and to ask her for the honor of her company, River realized as she Read his thoughts. His mind was full of her soft hands and pretty face and swaying walk, a fleeting attraction compared to the woman around whom his thoughts oriented. Still, he genuinely wished to offer her help if she ever needed it. He was feeling keenly his failure on planet to set her free. She smiled, as warmly as she could manage for someone who would hunt her partner without a thought for if it was right. "I thank you, for your words. You are kind to offer assistance." She bowed more deeply, "I will keep it in mind. But as for the other...I am..." She sighed slightly and shook her head, "I am...unavailable for such an engagement."

"I understand," Johns nodded. He truly did, she could feel it. His interpretation of her words wasn't quite what she'd meant. But she could hardly say she had an overwhelming attraction and affection for the man he'd happily hunt down and turn into a Slam.

"Please give my greetings to Dahl, and thank her for me again, for letting me bathe," River offered as she moved to the counter to pay.

"I will," Johns nodded. "Do you need an escort back to your ship?"

"I am never so encumbered that I cannot defend myself," River turned the offer down politely. "My captain...doesn't care much for strangers. We're a close-knit group." She watched as the cashier tallied up her purchases and nodded. The tally was the same as her own. Adding a bag of dried fruit and the treasure of two chocolate bars brought the total up a bit but still well within her means.

Johns was still watching her as she smiled at them politely and left the store. She could hear his mind wondering how much of what she'd said about Riddick was true. River grinned to herself. She'd lied to him about the merc owing her a debt. After all, she hadn't kept Dog alive to prevent a bloodbath. She'd done it for Riddick. To keep Riddick from being killed. And to spare him the pain losing his only friend would cause. That the mercs lived, for a while at least, was a bi-product. But what Johns didn't know wouldn't hurt him. She wouldn't lie to Riddick, but the rest of the 'verse…not so deserving of consideration.

The docks weren't too far away and she wasn't being followed. Johns didn't think it would be hard to find her again. He'd learn soon enough that she was a ghost on the cortex. The name Lil could be any number of folk. And he didn't realize that what he'd seen of her capabilities was the merest fraction of what she could truly accomplish.

Keying open the ship, River cast her mind out for Riddick's thoughts again and winced as she found him on his way back to the boat. His thoughts were filled with Dahl, her body and the sounds of her, the taste of her skin. Strangely enough Riddick hadn't kissed the merc woman. Because she was a merc? She knew he didn't kiss whores, a lot of them didn't allow it, and there were other concerns as well. The Goodnight Kiss wouldn't affect him as long as it would Mal or Jayne but it would do its job well enough for him to get rolled like any other mark.

The Reader busied herself with putting the supplies away, hiding the chocolate from Dog. It wasn't good for him but he'd eat anything if she left it out. She'd caught him munching on laundry soap once. That had been a memorable day. He'd foamed at the mouth, vomited and gulped water only to foam and vomit more. She and Riddick had learned to keep non-edibles out of his reach. Sometimes Dog didn't have as much sense as God gave a horse. Which wasn't much in the first place since horses would eat until they were sick given the chance and the food.

Try as she might to stave off the epiphany that had struck her earlier she couldn't. River sighed and sat at the table. She wanted Riddick. She wanted his attention and affection and his touch. She wanted him with a hunger that was actually a little shocking. Hearing and feeling what he'd done with Dahl only made it worse.

She'd thought she had a little attraction, normal enough; her partner was a good man, mostly. He was handsome, muscular and according to all his whores, very talented in bed. His need for the whores and so often lately, had been irritating but she'd understood. He didn't like to think on her like that and he had needs, everyone did. So, he'd gone to whores.

But Dahl... Dahl being the object of Riddick's attention bothered her more than a platoon of whores. He'd expressed interest in Dahl before, and perhaps it had only been River's presence that had kept Riddick and the merc woman from having each other on Not Furya. Dahl was a strong, vibrant, sensual woman. And as unlike River as day from night. And Riddick being with her hurt...worse than any other pain she'd felt in her life.

River swiped away tears and took a deep breath calming her heart rate. Maybe it was time she looked into getting a whore of her own? A nice young boy whore who could service her. Or if she could afford one, and make contact, a male Companion would be ideal. She'd have to go on the cortex when Riddick was sleeping and see about that.

In the meantime, her sated partner was approaching the ship. And they'd better take off soonest.

* * *

 

Riddick wasn't sure what was wrong with him. He'd just had one of the most satisfying romps of his life. With a woman he hadn't had to pay. But midway through it he'd started to think of the wrong woman. Or the right one, depending on your perspective. And that last climax, like fire blowing through him, he hadn't been seeing Dahl under him. He'd pictured his beautiful Kitten, white skin, dark hair, arching up to his hands and moaning his name. That was a little twisted, even for him, to think of one woman while he was balls deep in a different one.

But lately, he'd noticed that his whores...he tended to concentrate his attention on the slender brunettes. And he couldn't help but make comparisons between their flesh and the skin he'd seen of Kitten's. He hadn't gotten more than brief glimpses since the time he'd seen her bathe. And that was for the best. He didn't need to feed those fantasies anymore.

Damned if he was going to screw up the best thing in his life so far. He knew, in theory anyway, that no one was perfect. But if River Tam, his Kitten, wasn't the closest thing to it he'd eat Dog's food. She was smart and pretty, deadly and all kinds of useful. And she seemed to actually like him. That was one thing that argued for not so smart, or maybe slightly crazed, but he'd take it because he really didn't know where he'd be without her. He was hot shit at escapes, but she was pretty damn slick at just not getting caught.

Riddick looked at Dog and sighed, "What the fuck am I gonna do?" Dog made a half moan half snorting noise at him and Riddick shook his head, "Lotta help you are."

He moved over to his desk/workbench and picked up the shiv he was carving for her. She didn't have the strength in her hands to do the delicate decorative carving. He'd taught her how to make shivs out of damn near anything. She was pretty good. But having the upper body strength to put an edge on something wasn't the same as having enough strength in your hands and fingers to do fine work.

Riddick figured he couldn't do much for her, but he could make her a shiv that looked like it belonged in her hand. Slender and carved with knotwork, the perfect size for her palm, she could tuck it in the sheath he'd made at the back of her belt. Made out of bone it wouldn't show on a weapons-scan the way metal would. He turned the shiv in his hands and nearly smiled at the thought of her holding it. It was almost ready.

A look over at Dog, who was watching him curiously, brought a half smile to his face. He wondered what Kitten would think of the shiv. The smile faded as he remembered the expression on her face as he'd walked up the ramp to the airlock. She'd smelt of tears and pain and determination even though he hadn't seen any sign she'd been crying. He bent his head over the shiv. Nobody made his partner cry. He still wanted to hunt down her old crew and gut a few people for how hurt and afraid she'd been at the sight of them.

The knock at his door was quiet, in deference to his sensitive ears, and Riddick called for her to enter. When the door slid open she just stood there watching him for a moment. She smelt warm and sweet, affectionate and trusting as she leaned against the doorjamb. "Dinner's ready," She told him in her soft voice. "If you're hungry."

"Always," He grinned at her and set the shiv down. "'Specially when you cook Kitten."

A touch of sorrow drifted through her scent and he frowned, "What's wrong?"

"Tell you at dinner," She wasn't quite lying but she wasn't going to tell him everything. Riddick forced himself to relax even as he tensed at the thought. Everyone had things they wanted to keep private. He was glad she didn't look too closely at his thoughts unless they were on a job. If she knew his thoughts about her, all the fantasies he had while she was asleep and safe from his mind...well their partnership might be over.

"All right," He nodded and set down his tools. "Lemme wash up, an' I'll be right there."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So…more 'old friends'. Did you all anticipate this after the last chapter or were you surprised? I figure if you'd read 'Any Fool' you'd have an idea of what was going on. I actually had this written before I'd written that story and making sure I kept any changes in line with both was a little challenging.
> 
> Someone asked if we would meet Monty or Saffron… and others thought we'd run into the crew again. We will meet more familiar people but I don't want to give too much away.
> 
> And our two folks here are busy buying riverfront property in Egypt aren't they?
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> bàng jiār (partner)
> 
> Shǐ niào (Shit and piss)
> 
> gǒu niáng yǎng de (son of a bitch)
> 
> gǒu tuǐ zi (dog's leg / fig. one who follows a villain / henchman / hired thug)
> 
> wèi hǔ zuò chāng (to act as accomplice to the tiger / to help a villain do evil - idiom)
> 
> È yǒu 'è bào (evil has its retribution (idiom); to suffer the consequences of one's bad deeds / sow the wind and reap the whirlwind - Hosea 8:7)
> 
> è guàn mǎn yíng (lit. strung through and filled with evil (idiom); filled with extreme evil / replete with vice / guilty of monstrous crimes)
> 
> guāng míng zhèng dà ((of a person) honorable / not devious / (of a behavior) fair and aboveboard / without tricks / openly / (of a situation) out in the open)


	15. The Star To Every Wand'ring Bark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is not love  
> Which alters when it alteration finds,  
> Or bends with the remover to remove:  
> O no! it is an ever-fixed mark  
> That looks on tempests and is never shaken;  
> It is the star to every wandering bark,  
> Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
> 
> -Sonnet 116, William Shakespeare

River shuddered and hit the punching bag again. Her skin was over sensitive, like she'd touched a live wire up in the engine room. Riddick was flying the boat, thank Book's uncaring God, or he'd be in the work out room with her. She'd been avoiding him as much as she could without being obvious. The pain at realizing what he'd been doing with Dahl was still hot and raw inside her. Between it and her not so sudden but insane need to have Riddick touch her the way he'd been touching Dahl he was bound to notice something was wrong. He had already had noticed a difference in her scent. She had to behave normally, hide her upheaval, or she'd lose him, lose everything.

She could stand to lose the boat, lose Dog's company, the cortex, even the workout set up. But to lose Riddick, lose her big man as her best friend and trusted partner… She'd go mad again. Losing Simon had nearly driven her insane on top of the trauma she'd suffered at the hands of the mercs. Losing Riddick because she suddenly couldn't control her feelings and reactions to them… it would be unbearable.

She'd told him at dinner the night before that she'd run into Luna and Johns, about the conversation, leaving out Johns' invitation. Something told her Riddick would not be pleased with that and it would be awfully hard to stay under Johns' radar if her big _bàng jiār_ stormed up to the merc and warned him off at shiv point. She was fairly certain that an irate Riddick telling Johns that River was off limits to mercs would be the opposite of laying low. It would also prove the lie she'd told, that she hadn't seen Riddick in three quarters of a year. Though if Dahl shared her 'sighting' of Riddick the mercs would come to the correct conclusion quickly. They were mercenaries, but they weren't completely stupid after all.

Not that she felt bad about deceiving Boss Johns. If he knew who she was he'd turn her in himself, the price on her head was that high. He'd said that he hunted people with bounties. He didn't ask why and that was the flaw with his system. It was a pity, Johns was a decent man, for a merc, but like every other mercenary he didn't put much thought into why his bounties were being hunted. So best to not risk Riddick's freedom or hers on her partner's chancy temper. He was very protective of her in his way. He expected her to keep up, to be honest with him, but just as she was careful with sound, scents and light, he was considerate of anything that might pain her mind. Or throw her back into a maelstrom of memories, overwhelming her with remembered cruelties and agony.

But she'd told him about Reading Johns and how the merc had known nothing of Furya. Riddick had been disappointed by that but shrugged it off. If the planet was that easy to find he'd have reached it a long time ago. He'd found her insults to Luna funny as hell though and grinned when he heard she'd been twirling one of her knives. Riddick had urged her to show him how she'd stood and what she'd done and howled with approving laughter when she did so.

'Fucking perfect the way she can play the mercs against their own stupidity,' His thought as he looked at her was amused and tinged with appreciative lust, quickly buried again and River had taken her seat. She'd found it more than a little disturbing how much Riddick denying his own interest in her hurt. He'd been doing the same thing for a year. Lately though...it had bothered her a lot more. Then he'd asked a question about the job they were in line for and River redirected her attention to the conversation rather than her bruised heart.

The job they had coming up was a simple delivery to a skyplex of cargo they'd picked up on Beaumonde. They were the last leg of a multi-point journey for some cargo and would be paid upon delivery. The cargo for Niska was at the same station. They'd have more than enough space in the hold for it and all they had to do was pick it up. There was something about the skyplex that bothered her but she hadn't been able to determine what it was. Riddick had frowned when he'd heard that but he didn't know anything either. He'd racked his brain for any mention of it or rumors he might have heard but neither of them could come up with anything.

River kicked the bag hard and whirled when it swung back, kicking it again. There was a downside to have a genius brain and perfect recall. She could remember perfectly every instance she'd seen Riddick unclothed, fully or partially nude. He didn't have much use for civilization and the overly mannered pretenses that came with it. He was completely and unrepentantly uncivilized and had no interesting becoming so. Bodily functions were a fact of life. The body was a tool, a weapon, something to take care of and hone to perfection. And _cào dàn_ was he perfect. She'd never seen another male like him.

His face was too strong to be pretty or conventionally handsome like the men she'd grown up being taught to appreciate. Smooth skin the color of milky coffee, lighter than Zoe's but so much darker than her own. And he couldn't care less about his scars or covering them unless it was for his own comfort. Scars were proof he'd lived through whatever hell had hurt him. Any beard he grew was strictly for the sake of disguise, the same with his hair, and generally shaved off the minute they were no longer needed. He was huge compared to her, nearly as tall as Jayne, and every inch of him coiled muscle. Despite being the opposite of everything she'd been raised to appreciate Riddick was the most attractive male she'd ever seen. Raw, powerful and perfect.

She hadn't ever paid much attention to men and their physical 'gifts'. Her experience with men was such that such sights were preceded by pain and thus found not at all attractive. But from a strictly clinical comparison based upon memory and ratio of body height and girth to genitalia she could say that Riddick was extremely 'gifted'. And she knew from his whores that he was a considerate and enthusiastic lover who could go most of the night and then some. Whenever they visited Odin the whores wouldn't leave him alone. Even the two who were less than enthused about their work had cautiously given him a try and been very pleased with the results.

She shuddered in memory of their thoughts, full of images of Riddick's mouth on their sensitive places, looking down at them as he caressed and pleasured them. She couldn't help wondering what it would be like, to be with him, to have him touch her and give her pleasure. Dahl had certainly enjoyed what Riddick had done with her. Would he think she was as attractive as Dahl? She was smaller, in every way, slender and, in his hands, very breakable. He might not find her appealing after all this time not now that he'd had Dahl and any whore he cared to have.

And she was doing it again. Thinking of him when she was meant to be concentrating on pushing him out of her mind. _Tā mā de niǎo_.

Behind her she heard Riddick enter the head. He'd worked out before his shift on the bridge and preferred to cool down before he showered. Dog groaned as the door shut behind Riddick and padded into the exercise space, his claws clicking on the metal deck.

"Not on the mats," River warned him and heard him lie down at the edge of the practice area. Feeling as if she'd beaten the sandbag enough she began her closing routine, stretching and winding down. A towel wiped off the worst of her perspiration and she grinned as Dog perked up, his ears flipping upward and an inquisitive sound in his throat, in hopes of a game. "Not today," She told him with a sigh.

Riddick came out of the head, still damp from his shower, a towel wrapped around his waist and River froze. He was beautiful. Why did he have to be so beautiful? Big and strong and that skin...those muscles... She was staring. She jerked her gaze away from her partner and reminded herself that he did not want to think of her like that. She was barking up the wrong tree, even if it was mental barking.

"Kitten?" Riddick looked a little concerned and she snapped her gaze to his. "You all right?"

She nodded jerkily and prayed that she smelled enough like sweat that he couldn't smell her desire for him under it. Her elevated heart rate could be blamed on her workout. "I just need to—" She slipped past him without finishing her sentence and ran.

* * *

 

Riddick stared after her in shock, "What in the sweet fuck is goin' on?" He asked Dog. "What'd you do?"

Dog just snorted at him and got up to follow Kitten. A mournful moaning howl sounded from the stairwell and Riddick padded after the animal. He remembered to tie the towel around his waist when he got to the stairs but Dog wasn't going down. Riddick frowned, "So where'd she go?" He asked Dog and, of course, got no answer.

He went down to the lower deck anyway, but Kitten wasn't sitting on the crates or in the mule. And she wasn't fiddling with her cycle either. He caught a hint of her scent, sweet skin, soft hair and a touch of jasmine, something sweet and spicy under it, a tang of salt from her workout seemed to intensify everything in his nose. But she wasn't under the stairs.

He couldn't help grinning as he went back to the upper deck and checked her room. It had been a while since they'd played this game. He'd gotten pretty good at tracking her, even when she was using the techniques she'd learned at the Academy to control her breathing and heart rate, which helped thin her scent. They'd pretty much stopped playing aboard ship, instead tracking each other through crowds or the wilderness. He'd been teaching her how to track someone if she didn't know what their mind sounded like. Of course Kitten took to it pretty well, she was a genius. But she wasn't as good as he was.

Their first six months together, once he'd discarded his 'wooden chicken' or 'tortoise act' as she called his pretense of a slow mind, they'd begun learning more from each other. She could husk a cortex as fast as he could sniff out a merc, and they'd entertained each other by teaching one another the skills they had. He wasn't bad with a cortex, but he'd never find it as enjoyable as she did. And she didn't have his senses and couldn't track the way he could. Though he had noticed her eyes and hearing were better than the average baseline human's.

He guessed not being as good at tracking came from her brain working too well almost. She took in so much information at a glance that sorting through it and determining what was the most important was hard for her. At least when it came to this sort of game. She didn't have his instincts to guide her. It was funny, they were both pretty damn smart, but their brains worked differently enough that they could still learn from each other. He really shouldn't find that so gorram attractive but there it was. Brains were sexy. Especially Kitten's brain.

She'd learned how to disguise her trail from him. How to use air currents, a crowd and traffic to hide when and how she'd passed an area. She'd already known how to minimize her scent, though she'd been taught those skills in order to be a more effective assassin or sniper. It was just handy that they prevented her from producing excess adrenaline which thickened her scent and made her easier for him to track. He'd been able to pilot before, but now he could rewire the cortex in a pinch or make basic repairs to an engine, and that was in addition to a million other things Kitten could do and was happy to show him.

Riddick looked down at Dog. The animal had come along as he'd walked down to Kitten's room and whuffed a breath out hopefully at her door. But she wasn't inside, wasn't in his room either. Not in either of the passenger dorms.

Riddick hitched the slipping towel back around his hips and shook his head, "Probably better get dressed if I'm gonna keep this up." He told Dog and went to suit action to words.

* * *

 

River crouched in the vent over the hall and exhaled cautiously. It had taken every bit of self-control to not groan at the sight of Riddick walking back and forth in nothing but that towel. A not very large towel even. And then it had started to slip down, and she'd felt her heart rate try to triple its pace. All that taut skin, bulging with muscles, a gleam of moisture from his shower slowly fading off his body made her mouth water. Even his scars, the paler marks on his flesh, were attractive, highlighting his skill as a fighter, a survivor. He was the first man she'd seen without chest hair.

His towel had begun to slip again as he'd walked away, and he'd absently taken it off and retied it. The sight of his exposed genitalia, strong thighs and hips, narrow in comparison to his shoulders had caught her breath in her throat. It should have been Riddick posed for Michelangelo's David. Before her partner she'd never thought of a man as beautiful. And until she'd realized how she felt about him she'd appreciated that he was attractive but now… he was quite simply beyond any other male she'd ever met or seen. The pure power in his body, the unconscious grace in his movements and the authority of his presence simply captivated her.

He made her brain stutter. She was repeating thoughts, though to be fair, Riddick's magnificence bore repeating. But she never did that. There was no point in repetition. Unless she was thinking about her partner and how beautiful he was. Thinking in circles again…

Technically speaking she'd seen men more handsome. Men with perfectly chiseled faces and elegant bodies clothed in silks and wools with exquisite manners and eloquent speech. But their beauty, such as it was, had left her completely unmoved. As she watched Riddick she had finally understood why in ancient days women had fainted over feats of strength and skill performed by knights and warriors. Not that Riddick would be flattered by that comparison. Still if their men had looked or behaved anything like Riddick it was a wonder those women were ever upright.

Her partner was pure, animalistic and completely uncivilized when he wasn't trying for courtesy's sake, really for her sake, courtesy be damned. He was what literature meant when stories referred to warriors. There was no one more suited to fighting than Riddick, no one she'd ever met to equal him. Even Jayne with his blunt, practical approach to killing had a few civilized foibles. Not many, it was true, but enough that Riddick would crush him in a fight. She was the only one who could match him, and if he caught her on a bad day, even she might have trouble.

She could feel her body flush with heat, need filling her even as she struggled to calm her blood. Biologically speaking it was ridiculous for her to react with such force to the mere sight of her partner. Men were visually stimulated, women were not. But she knew him. She was his Kitten, his little woman, witch, mind reading genius. His partner and friend. And he knew her. Cared about her and tried to protect her, even from himself as much as he could. Friendship combined with his sudden appearance in only a towel served to send her body and heart fluttering.

You're being ridiculous, she told herself sternly. And unless you want him to find you and yank you out of the vents before you've calmed down you had better get control of yourself.

It had been sheer force of will that had kept her breathing evenly and slowly. At least he'd gotten the idea, finally, that clothing was a notion that should be embraced. She rested her forehead on her knees and bit her lip to keep from moaning. It was times like these she thanked the stars and Book's apathetic God that the Academy had taught her to control her body's natural reactions. As it was she'd had to run from her partner so that she wouldn't do something... Well. Something that she was pretty certain would embarrass the hell out of Riddick. Not an easy accomplishment. The man had no shame and no modesty either.

River watched as Riddick came out of his room and resumed his hunt for her. She grinned in relief. He was wearing pants and one of his tank tops at least. He still wasn't bothering with boots but that wasn't exactly unusual. She didn't like shoes much either. Whenever there'd been trouble with Serenity she'd known it from how the ship had felt underfoot. It was the same with Sanguine.

She heard a hatch open and knew that Riddick was checking the engine room for her. Dog howled mournfully and she could almost see him sitting at the base of the ladder waiting for Riddick to come back down. Dog hated the engine room. It was one of the few places on the boat he couldn't get to. Dog could manage stairs pretty well but ladders were beyond him.

Riddick was coming back and she slid cautiously away from the airduct vent so he wouldn't see her. He wasn't irritated, not yet, but if he didn't find her soon she'd have to come out of her own accord to start the meal. It was a deal they had; he'd keep the galley clean if she cooked. There were very few meals he could manage on his own that didn't involve MRE's or roasted meat. She busied herself for a moment wondering how he hadn't died of scurvy on Not Furya. Superior Furyan DNA maybe?

She grinned as he stalked down to the lower deck and slid towards the duct hatch. She was lowering herself to the deck when a pair of hands grabbed her waist and squeezed. River shrieked in surprise, it was truly rare that Riddick managed to sneak up on her. The big man was chuckling evilly and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I gotcha Kitten," He teased her.

"Yes, you did," River tried to catch her breath. "You almost gave me a heart attack." She pulled away a bit so she could look at him. His grin was awfully self-satisfied. At least she could blame the thundering of her heart on being startled and not the feel of his body pressed against her back. She'd spent so long around mercs, feeling insignificant and helpless, her size one more thing to be used against her while she was chained. Now and then she would still flash back to that helpless feeling but those incidents were growing more and more rare. But Riddick's arms wrapped around her felt protective and caring, not a trap. She could trust he'd never use his strength against her. He never had. He was the only male in her experience who hadn't, even on Serenity she'd been held down and drugged.

"Figured there couldn't be any other place for you to hide 'sides the air ducts," Riddick shrugged and let her go. "Scent was thicker in one spot than others."

"Awfully pleased with yourself," She wrinkled her nose at him as she moved towards the stove. "I thought you'd find me before you felt the need to put on clothing."

He was shaking his head as he set the table, "It was gettin' chilly."

River looked at him with a smile and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. She really needed to see about booking a Companion. This...whatever it was, that was like another heartbeat inside her, it was getting out of hand.

* * *

 

She was starting to wish she'd had more time on Universe's moon to research this stupid skyplex. The bad feeling was just getting worse the closer they got to it. "Should be simple, pick up cargo, drop off cargo and get payment," She muttered. She wasn't going to ask what could go wrong, that was just inviting trouble. And trouble they did not need.

"Smell like you're still gettin' a bad Read off the thing," Riddick commented from the pilot's seat. Dog echoed the sentiment with one of his moans of confusion and River smiled at the animal.

"Feeling gets worse the closer we get," She drew her feet up and wrapped her arms around them, worrying the scar on her lip as she stared at the looming skyplex circling above Greenleaf. The skyplex was needed near Greenleaf because the planet had a very heavy Alliance presence and they limited ships landing on it. The wildlife was responsible for sixty percent of the pharmaceutical developments in the 'Verse and thus very valuable and subject to smuggling. Absently she murmured this information to Riddick and was given a nod.

"Tangiers Five is a bit like that. So, all manner of folk on this skyplex and maybe not all of them friendly to us," He suggested. His thoughts were full of the type of people they knew flocked to the space stations, hustlers, thieves, con artists and gamblers, all manner of transient population. There was also a distinct possibility of mercs. In fact, mercs were more likely on a skyplex rather than less and he said so.

"Hmm… Santana's crew liked the convenience of the space stations but not the prices." She recalled. "Whores, whiskey and food are all expensive, everything must be imported." River inhaled deeply and considered, "Can open the floodgates…try to Hear…"

Riddick shook his head at her, "Don't. You're always tired after. You'll want to be alert when we're deliverin' the cargo." He frowned, "We never did get a straight answer about what we were carrying."

"Didn't need one," River keyed up the information she'd gleaned from her cortex searches on the buyers. "Buyer is in the market for electronic components. And some consumer goods. Above board but unable to afford expedited delivery."

"Nice to know it's a legal job," Her partner seemed marginally less tense, though he still glared at the skyplex as if it had done him an injury. He was scanning the ships approaching it and going to and from the planet below, trying to find familiar silhouettes and hoping he wouldn't.

"Partly legal," She shrugged slightly. "Virtual reality software…not quite licensed for sale or transport." She checked the official manifest against the unofficial one and grimaced, "Oh, and pornography in addition to virtual reality software." Her partner shrugged, he had no particular opinion on pornography, finding some of it interesting but most just boring. Images couldn't compete with a real woman and he had his memory if he needed stimulation between whorehouses.

"So some of its legal and some isn't," Riddick rolled his eyes. "Figures. Nothin's ever simple really."

"Didn't think the big bad would worry about legalities of software," River teased. She rarely used that nickname for him, only when she was certain it would amuse and not sadden him. She couldn't be sure but she thought he was slowly making his peace with the loss of his Jack. Memories that might have haunted him a year ago were more bittersweet now.

He grinned as the skyplex docks prompts came over the cortex, a wicked smirk that promised all sorts of hell for anyone who crossed them, "Didn't say I was worried Kitten."

"Of course not," She rolled her eyes back at him. "Heaven forfend."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So River's not in as much denial as Riddick is, but she's still not admitting that she feels anything more than attraction so still rending riverfront property in Egypt. Sorry, a lot of thinking in this chapter. More action in the next one.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> bàng jiār (partner)
> 
> cào dàn (fuck)
> 
> Tā mā de niǎo (goddamn it)


	16. I And My Sword Will Earn Our Chronicle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dost thou hear, lady?  
> If from the field I shall return once more  
> To kiss these lips, I will appear in blood.  
> I and my sword will earn our chronicle.  
> There's hope in 't yet.
> 
> -Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare

In hindsight, he wished she'd tried to get a Read of the _tā mā de_ skyplex.

The job had started out simply enough. But where they were docked wasn't anywhere near the buyer's location. The buyer had asked if they'd bring the cargo to him, and he'd send some of his guys to help them with the load. They'd already picked up the cargo they had waiting for them so that was done. It seemed harmless, if irritating, to accommodate the buyer. So they'd agreed to it.

Considering they were aboard a skyplex Riddick would have thought there'd be room for one of the mules. But apparently mules were only allowed on the docks and cargo warehouse areas. The buyer was not in either of those areas. Riddick played dockhand while Kitten stood guard, all of the cargo loaded onto a little train of hand mules the buyer's men had brought with them.

The 'guys' the buyer had sent had a bad odor to them, literally and he'd spent half the walk trying not to breathe too deeply, the back of his neck prickling with strain as if they had eyes on them. Kitten had grown even more tense as they walked and at one point she'd stopped and looked behind them, giving him a meaningful glance.

His answering scowl had made clear that he took her meaning. They were being followed, and well enough that he hadn't heard them and only half felt them watching. Kitten probably wouldn't have known either if she hadn't been a Reader.

The buyer had been pretty damn twitchy, and taken his own sweet time getting their payment, so much so that Riddick had wondered if the man had something to do with the people following them. Kitten had tilted her head, regarding the man before folding her arms. "There is a problem with the goods?" She asked crisply. "All here, all accounted for. We do the job, we get paid."

"Or I take it out of your hide," Riddick added lazily. "See, that's the thing. We get paid, one way or another. Pay us in plat or pay us in blood."

"Platinum is less messy," Kitten remarked as if it didn't make much difference to her personally.

"Blood's more fun," Riddick kept his hands deceptively still on top of the crates. "And I could still just take the money off your corpse."

"Now there's…there's no need… no need for threats," The rather greasy looking twitchy man held up his hands in protest. "Just… tryin' ta make sure I got my money's worth s'all."

"Got five crates of cargo. All of it in perfect condition." He glared at the man and speared one of the guards with a look that warned him not to move. "You really think you can reach that side arm before my _bàng jiār_ riddles you with holes?"

Kitten's folded arms were disturbingly close to the Ladysmith in her shoulder holster. "Very doubtful." Her eyes were narrowed, and her scent was rife with irritation. "And the fact that we were followed from our ship to your shop does nothing to set our minds at ease."

That set the buyer stuttering all over again, denials and shock and Riddick looked at Kitten. "So. In on it but not thrilled about it."

"Reputation precedes us. Not to be trifled with," She nodded and sighed as if the entire situation was irksome.

Riddick smirked; Kitten could do more damage out of irritation than she would in a temper. And her scent was increasingly annoyed. "How you wanna play it Kitten?

She took a deep breath and some of her tension faded, "Is there another way out? The front of the shop?"

"They'll be waiting," Their buyer was, quite blatantly, a coward but at least he was being forthcoming.

"How'd they turn onto us?" Riddick glared at him and the man actually quaked in his boots. His knees were almost knocking.

"They try this on half the ships that come in with deliveries," Was the answer.

"So, not us in particular, just opportunistic." Kitten rubbed her forehead. "Jon, help me up?"

He nodded and easily lifted her to the ceiling and the vent cover above them. "Lemme know how many and what you see," He admonished. "Gotta let me have some fun."

* * *

 

River dropped back down out of the vent and was nearly rewarded with a bullet from one of the guards. "Idiot," Riddick rolled his eyes and she got the impression he'd been doing that a lot in the half hour she'd spent reconnoitering the situation in which they found themselves.

"Six on the back entrance," She told Riddick and instinctively began to recheck her weapons. "Three on the front." She nodded towards the front of the shop, "Complication though."

"More complicated than an ambush?" Her partner was right, their luck wasn't generally this bad.

"The creed is greed."

" _Liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi. Jiào nǐ shēng háizi méi pìgu yǎn_." His cursing was virulent and heartfelt before he calmed enough to ask, "The three out front?"

In the back of her mind she could be amused at how much Chinese he'd picked up in a year. He could curse as well as Jayne now. She shook her head, "Behind them. Not involved in the ambush. But quick to take advantage of any unrest in the streets."

His response to that was something even Jayne might have found to uncouth to say in front of her, though her old crewmate would have agreed with the sentiment. " _Tài kōng suǒ yǒu de xīng qiú sāi jǐn wǒ de pì gu_." The irony was he'd learned the phrase from her. " _Nǐ tā mā de tiān xià suǒ yǒu de rén dōu gāi sǐ_."

"Might have a way past them," River offered quietly. "But it will require stealth. And care."

Her big partner rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "What'd you have in mind Kitten?"

"Escape through the vents and come out behind the ambush," She explained. "Vents should hold my _bàng jiār_ with minimal noise. If we move slowly and carefully."

"Machinery in the ceilings might mask any sounds too," He nodded. "Let's try it. What's the worst that could happen?"

"We are heard and they shot at the ducts and we bleed through holes in the ceiling," River responded and wrinkled her nose. Sometimes her brain to mouth filter didn't engage.

"Yeah, pretty sure that ain't the absolute worst thing but it'd be bad," Riddick didn't seem to mind when she answered rhetorical questions, taking it as one of her quirks. Sometimes he found the idiosyncrasy amusing. Like now, his mouth jerking up in one corner as he eyed the ceiling, mentally measuring the width of the ducts. "Know you can slide through them easy, there gonna be room enough for me? Don't even look the width of my shoulders."

"Looks narrower than it is," River assured him as she mentally measured his shoulders and compared it to the ducts. Part of her mind wanted to dwell on his muscles and café o' lait skin and she dragged her thoughts back to the task at hand. "He will be confined but with inches to spare." Her portable cortex brought up the schematics and she showed him the ducts. "We will be required to exit here, to the passage below, as they narrow further."

"Well we ain't gettin' any younger," He sighed and tucked the bag of platinum in the satchel, securing it with buckles and ties.

"Once more unto the breach," River nodded and nimbly climbed up to the vents again. She was conscious of his eyes on her legs and _pì gu_ and a smile curved her lips at his complimentary thoughts. "Will guide the way. As he has done in the darkness."

"Right behind you," He leapt up, pulling himself into the ducts and pushing himself flat to belly crawl along behind her. The metal didn't shift, though it did creak ominously under his weight and they both stilled for a moment.

"Should be all right," River murmured to him softly, her voice was barely a whisper and thankfully without an echo to irritate his sensitive hearing. "Equal distribution of weight will ease passage and negate sound."

"Go on," He watched as she cautiously slid one knee forward, keeping it in the corner of the duct, her opposite hand matching the movement and she felt his understanding of what she meant.

A few feet forward she didn't so much hear as felt him moving behind her and turned to see he was doing the same as she, using the rubber soles of his boots to push along the joins of the ducts and his forearms in lieu of his hands. She nodded and he gave her a half grin of amusement before they continued forward.

* * *

 

Their luck ran out half way back to the ship when someone from the ambushing crew spotted them walking back through the docks. "Waited for us, decided to scout around, see if we found another method of egress when we did not emerge." Kitten told him as they ran through the maze of crates, pallets and assorted cargo sitting in the warehouses and on the loading docks.

"Any mercs yet?" He wasn't even breathing hard, despite the punishing pace and she nodded.

"Right behind them," She darted between two piles of cargo and he barely squeezed in after her, but the crew following them had to find a way around, which bought them a precious few minutes distance.

"Run faster," He admonished her and she growled at him but put on a burst of speed as they approached the _Sanguine_. Nimble fingers had grown chilled in the icy duct air and she had to try the code twice before it worked, which gave the crew following them, and the mercs on their tail, time to catch up and use the guns they obviously didn't carry around for show.

" _Gao yang jong duh goo yang_ ," Kitten spat the curse as he hauled the door open and bullets began flying. Before he could shove her inside she turned and emptied both her Ladysmiths into the enemy, each shot hitting them center mass or straight between the eyes.

Before she could grab for the LeMat at her shoulder Riddick shoved her into the ship and slammed the door behind them. Knowing she'd encrypt the airlocks and unlock the rest of the ship, he ran for the bridge, taking the stairs four at a time and throwing himself into the pilot's seat.

He was never more thankful for Kitten's genius cortex work as when the startup sequence worked the first time and the engines whirled to life. That hadn't always been the case, the Knorr had taken some work before it was completely reliable. He set the thrusters and growled when the lock down alarm began to flash, effectively holding them in place and preventing their engines from ramping up. A mechanical voice came over the cortex coms, informing them to cool thrusters and prepare to be bound by law.

He heard Kitten cursing a blue streak behind him and would have grinned had he not been so pissed off; the woman had a worse mouth than he did sometimes. Her slender form was a blur as she whipped through the bridge and pressed several buttons before her fingers clattered like gunfire over the cortex keys. "Think you can hold us," She muttered grinning darkly at the screens. " _Tā mā de gǒushǐ duī_ ," Her pretty mouth tilted in a sneer as she sent what looked like the standard response. _"Yú chǔn zì jiāo de dà zi ròu_."

Riddick looked down and saw the mercs that had been out of bullet range coming up to the hatch of the ship, one of them pulling out a cortex of their own. "Might have a little problem down there," He really wished the Knorr had some guns. Someday, maybe.

"Not a problem," She smirked as she keyed in something else and the skyplex's mechanical voice slurred its words, slow and garbled. "We may depart at any time," She checked to be sure the only life signs around were the mercs beneath them and gave him a wicked smile. "No innocent bystanders in the docking bay."

Riddick really didn't give a shit if there were at this point. People who stuck around to spectate during a firefight deserved what they got. _Sanguine's_ engines hit their launch sequence and the docking bay doors opened to the Black.

* * *

 

"That," He paused and adjusted their course. "That could have gone better." It was an obvious statement but it started the conversation.

Kitten nodded, keying in a few more commands. "And now we have the job for Niska. Cargo picked up, to be traded for more cargo and brought to him. Less than legal but lucrative."

"Didn't seem to recognize either of us when we spoke to him earlier, checking in to let him know we were on our way to the skyplex," Riddick mused. "You get anything more since then?"

She shook her head, "Hard to Read over a wave. But no specifics of treacherous plans. Just enough to know he is _jiān xié_."

"Ain't like we haven't dealt with those before," He conceded. She nodded, her gaze fixed on her cortex and he considered her thoughtfully. She hadn't been distant, precisely. But she wasn't seeking out his company as much anymore. In the weeks since they'd run into Johns' crew she'd hidden in the vents several times, nearly exhausted herself with workouts and the punching bag. And whenever he offered to spar with her she'd shake her head and retreat to her room.

She still cooked, was still his partner, but now it felt like she'd put a wall between the two of them and he couldn't figure out why. If she were another woman he'd say he was getting the cold shoulder for some screw up but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what he'd done. Working jobs, they were still a well-oiled machine but off the job, just sailing, she didn't behave the way she used to. Now it was as if she had her guard up. Like he'd hurt her.

Now and then he'd get a whiff of some tantalizing scent, honey and spice. But there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to when. He'd caught the scent when he was coming out of the head after a shower, when he was working out, even when he was stretched out on the couch. It wasn't a bad smell, but he couldn't identify it and each time it drifted away and Kitten took off.

He nearly growled to himself and Kitten looked up to meet his eyes, a half smile tilting her lips and fading as her eyes went dark. "Think you might try to look for Furya in my brain again? Maybe something'll get knocked loose?"

"Could try," She nodded slowly and he turned away from the console to face her, her fingertips resting on the pulse in his wrists. "Look into my eyes and let me See into yours. I am one with the Storm and the Worlds and the Swirl of Stars in the Heavens and I shall See…"

The feeling in his brain was always odd, whereas the Quasi Dead had been all pain, crushing him down, Kitten's touch was light, a breeze, ruffling softly through his thoughts and winding deeper into his mind until all he could see were the dreams of Shirah and the field of graves, grass blowing in the wind.

When he came out of the trance it was with a slight jolt as he opened his eyes. "Just the dreams again huh?" Riddick was resigned to it, though he'd pay a lot for something that would shut Shirah up.

"Hmm… another search running, trying to match images, but it is slow, even with Mr. Universe's equipment working," She nodded. "Will make dinner and think on it some more. Maybe another angle…" She drifted out of the small bridge and Dog followed her with a hopeful whuff. That tantalizing scent touched his nose again and he frowned.

* * *

 

River frowned fiercely as she began to work on the meal. Now she couldn't even Read him without wanting him. Contrary to her hopes, she wasn't progressing in getting this attraction under control, she was just getting worse. Everything the man did was enticing. She'd nearly, and for her that was next to impossible, lost track of how many times she'd hidden in the vents in order to avoid seeing him half naked. The man had no shame and no interest in being uncomfortable. Getting him to agree half a year ago that shorts were wise under his cargo pants had been a battle and then some.

She'd spun around so quickly she almost hit her face on the door of the laundry room. " _Dì yù_ Riddick! When I said strip I didn't mean to your skin."

"'S'matter Kitten?" He'd stood nude and completely comfortable as he threw the stained cargo pants in the washer along with the dirty shirt.

"You're naked as the day you come cryin' and you're asking me what's wrong?" She was blushing fiercely and he knew it. It amused him to no end.

"What? Not like I'm deformed or somethin'," He retorted. "You said to take off the shirt and pants."

"Because you're supposed to be wearing shorts, undergarments…something underneath them," She replied in exasperation. "We talked about this!"

"No, we talked 'bout me wearing pants an' not walkin' around naked as a jaybird." Riddick truly didn't see the problem. And part of her could sympathize with him. But she had enough troubles seeing what she shouldn't. She didn't need a naked Riddick wandering through her brain.

"Shorts are part of being dressed," She insisted.

"Why?"

"Because… because they are. Because of situations like this. What do you sleep in if you don't wear shorts?" She was grasping at straws, her normally agile brain fumbling as she found and discarded arguments she knew he would reject as 'stupid', 'civilized' or 'fussy'.

"Don't sleep in anything." He was shrugging and she clenched her jaw.

"And if there's a problem in the middle of the night? You're going to go into the engine room bare-assed? Or pilot the ship naked when people can see into the bridge?" She tried that reasoning.

"That really likely?" He sounded a bit disbelieving and she knew her argument was thin.

"He wouldn't sleep naked in a Slam or on an inhospitable planet," River rubbed her hot cheeks. "Shipboard life isn't hostile but this is the Black. Things happen. Unexpected things. Best to wear shorts under your pants. Or boxer briefs or something. In case of injury or accident."

"You really think it's needful," He didn't sound convinced yet.

"She wears something to bed for nominal covering in case of emergency," River pointed out.

Her language slipping into different pronouns got through to him more than her arguments did. Riddick was always, always, considerate of things that might discombobulate her. His thoughts flew to the potential discomfort of shorts, to the possibility of an emergency and her blushing, near stuttering disoriented speech and came to the conclusion that even if this new requirement was because of her modesty and not safety, it would be worth it to keep her from being so upset.

"Don't got any now," His tone wasn't quite conciliatory but it wasn't argumentative either. "But I'll get some. That do?"

"It will." River had nodded jerkily and fled muttering about giving him privacy to get back to his room and dressed before she started laundry.

He'd started wearing boxer briefs a week later after he'd done some research on the cortex. If she didn't split the chore of laundry with him she might have never known about his capitulation. At least not until he came into the galley wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs, groping for coffee and muttering about cheap beer and getting the taste of it out of his mouth.

He'd never wear something he couldn't move in easily, which meant shirts that molded to his body, or tanks that exposed half his back, chest and arms. Or, aboard the ship, no shirt at all. Why dirty a garment working out when he could shower and just wash the sweat away?

Absently she wondered what he'd think if she decided to do the same, and half grinned picturing his shocked face. But then it would be really obvious what was wrong with her when he saw her body react to his presence and she'd be in bigger trouble than she was already. The last thing she needed was to be told he didn't want her as a lover.

Aesthetically she knew he found her attractive. He still thought about her now and then, and desire would warm his thoughts and color his dreams. But he'd gotten very good at burying and diverting his thoughts of her as anything but a friend. His friend, but only a friend.

She wondered if he understood just how well he was blocking her from his thoughts. She couldn't know his feelings unless he thought about them, or they became so overwhelming that they flooded through her. Riddick didn't like emotions. He considered them messy. And he'd worked hard to control himself so their partnership would work. He'd said once that he didn't want to do to her what her old crew had. Spewing their emotions out all over her until she was forced to see and feel everything they did.

If she hadn't spent nearly a year being drowned in the crew of _Serenity's_ feelings and thoughts without any filter or hope for control when she regained her sanity it wouldn't have been nearly as bad. By that time, she knew the crew so well, had felt so much, the pathways through her mind were well worn and it was hard to block them out. She knew them as intimately as she knew herself and it was impossible for her to not Read what they thought and felt.

With Riddick's control, it was almost the opposite. She'd had to learn him, and his feelings were so controlled and rarely thought upon that she only knew he had them because he'd let down his guard and his face was so expressive when he did. She could leave herself wide open around her partner and not drown in his emotions.

It was funny, even when he did give himself free rein, relaxing around her, it wasn't like being swept away on a tidal wave in a storm. There was something very comforting about Riddick's mind. Maybe because he didn't take anything for granted. Including her and her acceptance of him. Sometimes she wondered what it would be like, for him to completely relax and just feel, to be surrounded by his emotions and know they were both safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So… no dead bodies in the mail. Although that would have been fun if I'd thought of it. Great suggestion, and definitely something to keep in mind for other stories! A little bit of an explanation for why River can't just Read Riddick if she wants to know how he feels about her. They've also started on the job for Niska. Any bets on how that will go?
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> tā mā de (fucking)
> 
> bàng jiār (partner)
> 
> Jiào nǐ shēng háizi méi pìgu yǎn (May your child be born with an imperforate anus)
> 
> Nǐ tā mā de tiān xià suǒ yǒu de rén dōu gāi sǐ. (Fuck everyone in the universe to death)
> 
> pì gu (butt)
> 
> Tā mā de gǒushǐ duī (fucking pile of dogshit)
> 
> Yú chǔn zì jiāo de dà zi ròu (stupid inbred sack of meat)
> 
> jiān xié (crafty and evil / a treacherous villain)
> 
> Dì yù (Hell)
> 
> Script Chinese Translations:
> 
> Liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi (Stupid son of a drooling whore and monkey)
> 
> Tài kōng suǒ yǒu de xīng qiú sāi jǐn wǒ de pì gu (Shove All the Planets in the universe up my ass)
> 
> Gao yang jong duh goo yang (Motherless goat of all motherless goats)
> 
> Quote Sources:
> 
> Once more unto the breech – Henry V - William Shakespeare


	17. And Blown With Restless Violence Roundabout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To bathe in fiery floods, or to reside  
> In thrilling region of thick-ribbèd ice,  
> To be imprisoned in the viewless winds,  
> And blown with restless violence round about  
> The pendent world; or to be worse than worst  
> Of those that lawless and incertain thought  
> -Measure For Measure, William Shakespeare

Kitten was still avoiding him, at least that's what it felt like, but when she came down from the engine room with an intent look upon her face he knew she had something serious to discuss. He put the book he'd been reading down to look her in the eye, "Somethin' wrong with the engines?"

She shook her head slowly, "Not wrong…" In a seeming change of subject, she added, "We're not far from Beylix."

"We need to make a stop for parts?" Riddick frowned, they'd just gotten new fuses and boards and a couple of spare compression coils. She wasn't wrong, they were only twelve hours out, but he didn't see the need for a stop, unless she was Seeing something go terribly wrong. When Kitten saw things like that he didn't argue. They'd figure out the money later.

"Have a…feeling," Kitten was wiping her hands off with a rag and turned a chair backwards to straddle it as she spoke to him.

His gaze sharpened and Dog's ears perked up, coming to attention. "A feeling like the skyplex over Greenleaf?"

"Not as strong, non-specific," She shook her head, dark eyes far away as she rubbed at her fingertips. "Can't tell if it's a danger to me, to you, or both of us… Don't know if its Niska or something else there, he's such an old _huài rén_. But it is…disquieting."

"Okay…" He leaned back inhaling in reflex to check her mood. She was worried, and tense, but that followed worry, under the faint scent of Jasmine and that soft sweet spice smell he couldn't place. "Got an idea of what we can do? Offset that some?"

"Want to stop on Beylix." She said immediately. "Take two days."

"Two days…won't put us off schedule by more than we can make up at a harder burn," Riddick nodded. "So that's doable. What're we lookin' for on Beylix?"

"Engine augmentation," Kitten's mouth quirked in a sly half smile and mischief colored her scent for a moment. He raised an eyebrow at her inquisitively and she continued speaking, "Everyone knows, everyone," She emphasized, "a Knorr can only go so fast. Engines don't allow for more than seven at hard burn." She was using the shorthand so common in the Black, measuring distance in single digits rather than light years. It was something he'd grown used to since he'd come to the Alliance, being less common in the outer rims and beyond where ships ran to cryo and petty things like distance were mostly ignored except by engineers, pilots and captains.

Riddick nodded his understanding, "Right. I got that."

Kitten lifted one shoulder in a half shrug, "Figured out a way to get her to nine, possibly nine and a half, at hard burn, with a max of seven at cruising speed."

"An' do I wanna know how you managed that?" He blinked as he thought that over, "The ship'll hold together at those speeds? And we won't feel like we're in double the normal gravity?"

"Will," River nodded. "Had it in mind when we bought her. All modifications to the body and engine made to accommodate such a long-term goal. The reason behind the structural supports added between the hull and inner walls." She began to explain the ins and outs of the engine, using terms like 'pulse speed', 'burn through', 'g-line' and 'secondary compression drives' and he shook his head.

"Okay. Pretend I understood alla that," He'd understood about half of it, maybe a little more than half, and he'd have to look up the rest or get Kitten to explain it more slowly. In dumb wood chicken talk maybe. When she was excited she tended to forget his vocabulary wasn't as expansive as hers. He rubbed his chin making a mental note to let his beard grow out a bit so he looked scruffy when they got to Niska's. "You've been working on this a long time. Had it in mind ever since we bought the ship. And you've finally figured out how to make it work. Without blowing us out of the sky, flattening us to the decks or tearing the ship a new one." She nodded eagerly and he looked at her, "So why didn't you say anything about it sooner?"

"Wasn't sure she could do it, didn't want to say she could and then disappoint him." Kitten bit her lower lip, worrying her scar and her scent filled with tension, as if his reaction was everything. He was still unaccustomed to that. His opinion hadn't meant dick to anyone in a good long time but Kitten valued it, put weight on what he thought and took that into account in near everything to do with the ship.

"Okay… makes sense," Riddick nodded. If he'd been working on something and trying to figure it out, he wouldn't want to fess up to it unless he was sure it could be done. Nobody liked looking stupid, or that they'd bitten off more than they could chew, and Kitten with her genius brain even less so. "I'd a tried to help if you'd told me though. You know, for the next time you get a genius idea." He considered, "You sure it'll only take two days? You gonna need any help? And what's the damage to the bank account gonna be?"

Kitten made a face, "Bank account, it will take a bad blow, but doing the bank job we discussed will make up for it, at least in part. She will put in personal funds as well, if need be, but all parts are common and not too expensive, simply put together in an unexpected way to augment the drive. Similar to using household chemicals to make a bomb." Her forehead wrinkled as she considered his questions, "Help will be needed with moving things, and muscling them into place, handling tools, to make the work go faster. But at the most, it will be two and a half days. And the time is made up with the faster burn."

"And it'll give us an edge no one will be expecting when they see the class of ship we sail," Riddick mused. "Think it'll counterbalance that feeling you have some?" It was a funny thing, he wasn't used to people caring what he thought, and Kitten had grown used to her 'feelings' being ignored. Whenever he gave credence to her intuition or vague disquiet she was always a bit surprised. He guessed her old crew had no trouble believing she was a Reader but being a Seer of even the vaguest sort was a stretch of the imagination they couldn't manage.

"Some," She nodded. "Would rather have the advantage and not need it, than the other way around."

"Yeah, gotta agree with you on that one," He nodded. "All right. And I'll match you, whatever you put in I will too, so we've got funds if something goes wrong and we need to hide from Niska and your old crew."

Her smile at that was gorgeous, bright and sweet and she hopped up from her chair to hug his neck and kiss his cheek. "Richard is the best _bàng jiār_ in the 'Verse."

"I'm not, but I figure you deserve the best so," He shrugged and tried to not concentrate on how it felt to have her lips on his skin. "I'll set the course for Beylix."

* * *

 

The feeling of Riddick's trust was intoxicating. She had to work very hard to keep from bouncing with joy as they disembarked and went to pick up the parts she'd ordered held. The mule would carry everything, though they'd have to make two trips and part of the two-day process was due to the need to open up the ceiling/floor between decks to haul the largest part she needed into the engine room. It easily weighed half a ton.

She'd begun on that while Riddick sailed them to Beylix and Dog had been extremely puzzled by what she was doing. She'd been meaning to put in a few more trap doors anyway and had the doors stored up in the engine room so it was just a matter of hauling them down and fixing hinges into place on the floor and ceiling of the upper and lower decks respectively after she'd made sure nothing would short out or break when routed around the openings.

Riddick had come out of the bridge and nearly tripped over her, "Kitten, what're you doin'?"

"Trap doors, between decks." She explained as she bolted hinges into the deck plating frame. "Additional methods of egress and ingress, as well as a way to avoid carrying half ton parts up the stairs."

"We got that pulley in the bay for moving cargo around, you aimin' to use that and the mule to lift it?" He crouched to help her with the rest of the bolts.

"Figured it would be easier and safer than carrying it. Will fit through the trapdoors, then we only have to get it into the engine room," She nodded.

"Don't think it'd be worth opening the hull over the engine?" Riddick was thinking over how long that would take and frowning. He was strong but moving a part that size just the two of them would be dangerous.

"Considered putting in an airlock," She told him as she added a lock to the door. "Could be done. And if there was a fire in the engine room, we could seal it off and vent it to space. But it would cost six to ten thousand plat, even doing the work ourselves. And take us another day and a half. If the parts were available."

"Might be worth it," He suggested. "Fire in the Black ain't somethin' to play with. And between the two of us we've got the coin. We'd be broke for a bit but you mentioned the bank job, and we just got a wave about more of those dolls if we can be on Santo anytime soon."

"Would have to be done before we began work on the engine," She reminded him. "The engine alone will take us two days. Unless…" She paused thinking over the way she'd planned to do the work.

"Tear open the hull and get the parts in, then you work the engine and I work the airlock," Riddick suggested echoing the progress of her thoughts. "I'd be right there if you needed muscle, and you'd be there to tell me if I was missing anything. Plus, we could install some of those extra scanners and eyes you've got on the airlock while we did it. Upgrade the trapdoor to the engine room and be absolutely certain it'll seal properly and we'd be set."

River nodded, "Working in tandem, if all goes well, it would take three days." She looked at him, "Wouldn't even attempt it if we hadn't fitted Sanguine out ourselves and knew her in and out."

"No, that'd be a bad idea unless we had a couple of weeks to play with it. Which we don't," He agreed. She could hear Riddick's thoughts regarding her and the ship, that he could never argue her sense of caution when it came to their ship. _Sanguine_ was dolled up with more cortex equipment than an Alliance scow and sensors all over to be sure nothing would go wrong. And he'd never met a more meticulous engineer than Kitten for safety and upkeep. If she said this engine upgrade was safe it was an iron clad certainty that it was. It was heartwarming to hear he had such faith in her.

"But it is a plan of action," She grinned. "And when we take the wobbly headed doll caper we will get a bonus for expedited delivery."

When they arrived at the shipyard parts shop Riddick's expression as he took in everything she'd bought had brought an amused grin to her face but he gamely set out to load up the mule. He'd slung the cycle in the storage area and pulled it out before loading the mule up so they could transport smaller parts in the passenger seats and she could ride the cycle back. Thankfully since she'd purchased so many parts the ship yard was letting them have a repair lot for three days gratis. If they went over three days they would have to pay for the privilege but then they'd only have to pay by the four-hour allotment.

By her calculations even if they went over their estimated time they'd only have to pay for about eight hours, give or take six minutes. Riddick nodded at her as he carried a crate back to the mule while she haggled a bit more with the clerk, "This is it Kitten. Only thing left is that one part we need to use the whole mule for. And the airlock door."

"Can have them brung o'er ta ya," The clerk had a mouthful of some sort of imitation tobacco weed and he spat into a jar on the floor with only partial accuracy as he spoke. "Only take a quarter an hour. Take ya that long ta get the rest a that unloaded."

River tilted her head, "How much?"

The clerk shook his head, "Boss wants some programmin' done for the cortex. Says the inventories ain't comin' out right."

"Tell him to wave me and I'll look at it once we've gotten the work underway. I might be able to do it at night," River hedged.

Riddick shook his head, "We're on too tight a schedule." He argued against it. "Now your boss wants to wait 'til she can do the work proper, send a wave with the programmin' in an attachment or contract for a discount on work later for the free labor now, might could do that."

"Welllp…he's said ya'll are square…an' ye won't cheat him. I'll wave him while ya'll get yer parts squared away. See what he says." The clerk vacillated.

"I'll wave you when we're unloaded, see if we need to come back or if you're sending the parts over," River nodded her agreement.

"I'll send the wave now," The clerk turned to the cortex and River grinned at Riddick. The owner of the yard would agree to a discount on programming for some help now. And to have a skilled hand or two operating the crane and helping Riddick with the airlock would save them time.

She murmured as much to her partner as they left the shop and he sent her a grin, "So, nice way to fill in the chinks in our bankroll." He climbed into the mule as she straddled her cycle. "Meetcha at the boat."

* * *

 

River cursed as she pinched her fingers slotting in one of the last parts, " _Gāi sǐ_ piece of _shǐ niào_."

Riddick looked down from where he was welding an emergency ladder to the hull, "All right Kitten?"

"Just pinched my fingers. Again." She muttered darkly. "But we are almost done, I think." She began to connect the wires, mentally ticking off the adjustments she'd made. "How're you doing up there?"

"Fella operating that crane was a godsend, y'know, if I thought God gave a shit," Riddick told her as he continued working. "'Tween him getting that half ton part up into the engine room and holding it 'til we could get it fitted and then hauling the parts for the airlock up, saved us about half a day's work. And that's before the other two gave us a hand with the sealant and bolts."

River nodded, "Got it wired into the cortex and auto pilot just like the rest of the doors and hatches. And the trapdoor to the engine room will seal completely. Added a precaution to the programming, engine room can't be vented to space if the trapdoor is open, unless we both authorize it. Spare suit in the engine room storage locker, in case of emergencies." She added the catalyzer for the additional compression coil and smiled. "Engine augmentation complete."

Riddick gave the rungs of the ladder a good tug before he unhooked his safety harness and pulled the airlock door shut after him as he descended. The airlock gave a satisfying hiss as it sealed against the outdoors. "I'll run a check on the hull, make sure nothin's popped loose with all our work but we didn't exactly knock into her during all this. Just a precaution."

"Take an hour?" River looked at him for confirmation and he nodded.

"Still hooked up with water, might want to take on fresh while I'm doing that, we can both have a shower, wash off the dirt. And let Dog out. He's been driving me nuts howling. Who knows what the hell he's done trying to dig his way out." He sighed as he began to climb down the hatch to the hall leading to the bridge.

"Just putting tools away." She nodded, "Be down in a minute."

* * *

 

An hour later they were in the clear, eight hours ahead of schedule and Kitten had gotten the specs for the programming she'd been contracted for. She would tweak the program in use and make sure it was calculating properly, looking for loopholes where the inventory could skew. She'd grinned when they got it and told him it wouldn't even take her the four days she'd allotted. They were headed for Niska's skyplex, the wave confirming their destination had come in while they were planted on Beylix.

Riddick had sent Kitten a grin when they lifted off and _Sanguine_ purred under their feet. The engine, of necessity, had been tuned up before augmentation and once they were out of atmo he'd let her loose.

The increased speed of the drive hadn't even kicked up the gravity one bit. Kitten had mentioned plugging the g-line into the secondary drive instead of the main so he guessed that was what did it. They'd both been fairly exhilarated by the success.

"Setting course for Ezra space station," Riddick programmed it in.

* * *

 

Kitten's scent had grown heavy with dread as they neared their destination, but she'd shaken her head as he dropped to a more normal speed for a Knorr an hour out. Her cortex work was done, and so was the distraction. He watched as she keyed a wave to send in three and a half days with the programming attached. Without anything else to concentrate on she'd tried to Read Niska. "Can't See anything yet," She'd whispered. "He's…satisfied…" She'd winced and the scent of her Reading someone had faded. "His mind is… disturbing."

"Yeah, we'll just be prepared for the worst," Riddick had promised.

And they thought they had been.

* * *

 

Their first indication that something was wrong came when the assistant left Niska's office and closed the door behind him, leaving their escort of guards behind the two of them. Niska's man, the thug, was standing beside Niska's desk and Niska was sitting, wire rimmed glasses on his nose, doing something on a data pad. One hand was beneath his desk. That was their second indicator. "Ahhh…you arrive," He looked up with a smile. "And with my cargo, precisely on time. This is good. Very good."

Riddick could smell that Kitten was on guard and trying to Read Niska but her scent was full of discomfort and he guessed she wasn't getting much. Niska indicated the pouch on the corner of his desk, "This you will find, is payment in full."

Kitten had moved forward to take it, with a polite nod, and as her hand closed around it, stiffened to look at Niska, turning slightly in reaction. Before Riddick could move, the gun the old man was holding beneath the desk went off, burying a bullet into Kitten's torso. The scent of her blood, hot and rich filled the air even as her hand clenched around the pouch and she braced against the corner of the desk.

Riddick growled furiously, starting forward and was brought up short by the sound of guns being cocked behind him. If Kitten hadn't moved, the bullet would've gone straight through her liver and buried itself in her spine or abdominal aorta. His beautiful little genius partner would have bled out in minutes. "What'n the unholy fuck is this?" He glowered at Niska, hands curling into fists and uncurling as his palms itched for his shivs and the old man's blood dripping from his fingers.

"You see…Mr. Riddick… while you and this…little woman are valuable as employees…" Niska smiled at them. "You, I am afraid, are more valuable as cargo than you are transporting it."

Riddick tensed, grateful that he and Kitten had taken the precaution of arming themselves a bit more thoroughly than the last time they'd been here. "You might find I'm harder to keep than I am to catch."

Kitten stared at Niska, "Big mistake. To try and kill the girl and Riddick. You ought to run now; if you want to live." The hand that wasn't bracing her body against the desk and pouch palmed the bone shiv Riddick had given her. Bone wouldn't show up on scans and was just as strong as some metals. Perfect for smuggling a weapon into a place that scanned for metal. Quick as a flash her hand slashed out and opened the thug's femoral. Before he even realized he was bleeding out she'd flung the shiv into the eye of a guard behind Riddick.

That was his cue to turn and open the throat of one guard, while drawing the Marakov he favored, firing rapidly. Unfortunately, in the type of chain reaction typical of such situations, the guards decided to fire their guns; he and Kitten hadn't found that body armor they'd been wanting. The bullets that hit his shoulder and side would be irritating. He was more worried about Kitten. She was a lot smaller and the bullets he could shrug off would do a lot more damage.

"She is fine," Kitten snapped out the lie as she fired unerringly at the guards, aiming for the narrow opening between the armor at the throat and the collar of the helmet. Blood fountained in the air as the guards began to choke on their own fluids and fell to their knees. "Need to get out." She was putting the sack of platinum inside her shirt as she limped towards the door.

"Yeah tell me somethin' I don't know," Riddick snarled. Niska, he noticed, had taken Kitten's advice and slipped out another way.

"Password encrypted," She pulled her portable cortex out of her satchel and clipped the connectors onto the keypad slide. "Processing."

It seemed to take forever, but maybe that was because she was bleeding and he could smell that it was bad. But when the door locks disengaged with a hiss he didn't open it right away. "You Hear anyone out there?" He was already listening for the sounds of boots in the hall.

"The enemy…" She frowned, "They have set up blockades at choke points. The intersections of corridors. Mean to hem us in."

Riddick looked up at the vents. "And can we make it out, close enough to the ship, another way?"

She was worrying that scar on her lip again but nodded. "It will not be easy. But it can be done."

* * *

 

They made it two thirds of the way to the ship before Kitten began to falter. He could smell the blood loss was getting to her. Her clothing was soaked with it and his wasn't much better as the crawl through the vents kept the wounds they both had open and bleeding.

The next vent they came to, he tugged on her foot and pointed down. It was a measure of how far gone she was that his little woman didn't even argue. A hard kick sent the vent cover clattering down and he swung down to the hallway, listening for the tromp of boots. Kitten slipped down from the vent and staggered when she hit the floor.

"Yeah, you're fine," He grumbled and picked her up, holding her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and pressing her wound against his body to help stop the bleeding. "Shoot anybody comes up behind us."

"She will," Her voice was faint but game and he began to move at a run. It was three intersections later that the shooting began again and two more before he reached the ship, both of them leaving a blood trail the entire way. It was only because he was Furyan that they'd made it as far as they had, strength through adversity, Kitten had called it once. By his calculation he ought to be a regular Hercules he'd been through so much shit in his life.

The voice encryption she'd used on the airlock worked for either of them and he growled his name as the password impatiently. When it opened finally he'd taken another bullet to the leg before Kitten shot down the two mercs behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Occasionally I run into someone who has the idea that Riddick is invincible. Which implies that bullets are nothing but a mosquito bite to him. These seem to be the same folks who can't understand how River could ever be taken unawares. I don't subscribe to that theory. Just in case you were all wondering. There are ways around a Reader's abilities, and a bullet to the heart could kill Riddick just like anyone else. He does heal quickly, manages to keep going despite impossible odds (sometimes) and is in general mule stubborn enough that he'll stare down the Grim Reaper given the chance.
> 
> None of that negates getting caught in an ambush such as the one Niska sprang on them. The consequences of which we're only beginning to see.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> huài rén (bad person / villain)
> 
> bàng jiār (partner)
> 
> Gāi sǐ (damned / wretched)
> 
> shǐ niào (Shit and piss)


	18. All Strange And Terrible Events Are Welcome, But Comforts We Despise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All strange and terrible events are welcome,  
> But comforts we despise. Our size of sorrow,  
> Proportioned to our cause, must be as great  
> As that which makes it.  
> \--Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare

She knew there was a problem when Niska didn't stand to greet them as he had before. But his mind was so full of treachery and plans upon plans she couldn't See what he intended to do. Then it was too late. She'd grown weaker and weaker, crawling through the ducts, until Riddick called a halt to it and carried her out. His rage that she was hurt was like fire, the warmth surrounding her even as the loss of blood gave her chills and numb extremities.

Even shot he was stronger than most other men, hoisting her over his shoulder and ignoring the wound he'd taken there. His hand spread over her spine, spanning the width of her waist and holding her to his shoulder with more care than she'd have expected given their circumstances. The gunshot in her side had covered her in blood from the waist down and his shirt was soaked with both his blood and hers by the time they reached the _Sanguine_.

His voice had seemed to come from far away, ordering her to shoot anyone behind them, even as their blood combined. She could shoot, despite that she was fading, and did, several times. Forcing her arm and eyes to obey her brain was one of the harder things she'd done since escaping the mercs but she managed to keep her aim true. She suspected that if she'd missed a shot it would have sent Riddick into a panic. She never missed. They were at the _Sanguine_ then, and she had to shoot again, each shot sending a jolt through her body and fire into her side.

His wound pressed against the gunshot in her side. His blood was mingling with hers. It was as if she could feel it. The only warmth in her body was his blood, fire that threaded into her cold limbs. It tingled and then burned, hot and throbbing like his pulse was inside her.

" _Tā mā de niǎo_ Kitten," His words were faint in her ears, "Don't you fuckin' die on me."

It was an odd order to give. Didn't he know she'd never leave him if she could help it?

* * *

 

He wasn't much of a surgeon. What he knew about putting bodies together was usually derived from his need to take them apart as efficiently as possible. But he knew Kitten couldn't afford to lose any more blood. She'd already lost a dangerous amount. And he knew the bullet was still inside her or she'd be bleeding a lot more. Not that it seemed possible but he knew when a wound was being blocked with something and she'd have collapsed long ago if the bullet wasn't buried in her body.

Dog was pacing nervously up and down the hall. No doubt his sense of smell told him something was wrong. Kitten lying on top of the galley table was a pretty big hint in that direction. Riddick growled to himself as he tore her shirt open to examine the gunshot.

It wasn't pretty, oozing dark blood, obscene against her white skin. "We are so getting you the gorram fuckin' body armor," He growled as he laid out the med kit and the basic tools he would need to do first aid on his partner and forced his hands to stay steady. He'd never done this before, not with someone so important to him. If he screwed this up he could lose her. "Because I'll be fucked if I'm goin' through this again Kitten."

* * *

 

His voice was grumbling, irritated, and it was difficult to hear what he was saying. She wasn't in bed, or her partner wouldn't be close to her. And he wouldn't have brought her to his room. Where was she? She could feel his palm press against her stomach and ribs firmly. Something sharp and hot flared through her wound and she couldn't stop the moan as her side seemed to blaze with fiery agony.

Everything had slowed, her mind refusing to make sense of anything. All her senses had faded but for the pain. She couldn't see, couldn't seem to open her eyes. Could only hear mumblings, tones rather than words. Sensation had narrowed to waves of pain like a tsunami hitting her again and again. And all she smelt was blood. Everywhere.

Something dripped, hot on her stomach, and her wound flared again.

* * *

 

She wasn't completely out, moaned every now and then like she could feel everything he was doing. But it couldn't be helped. He'd managed to fish the bullet out and flooded the wound with cleanser, floating out bits of shirt and debris, again and again until it was clear. Then it was time for the spray sealer and foam bandage.

He'd taken a half second to slap a bandage over his shoulder wound but the more he used the thing the more it bled until it was a steady drip onto Kitten's stomach. He could only hope it wouldn't be a problem since he was pretty sure that between carrying her out of the station and trying to fix her up while he was bleeding he'd gotten her covered with his blood. Of course, he was covered with hers so it seemed like a fair trade.

Fishing the slugs out of his shoulder and leg was actually easier than fixing up Kitten. But he was used to fixing himself up. He'd heal pretty fast once the bullets were taken out.

That done he took another look at Kitten to be sure she didn't have any more bullets in her that he hadn't seen.

She had a graze on one shoulder and a bloody gouge on her thigh but thankfully nothing a quick wipe of disinfectant and a bandage wouldn't take care of. He sat down finally and Dog came over to put his head on Riddick's knee, whining softly. "Yeah, I think she'll be all right. But we gotta take care of her."

He checked her wound again, half expecting her to be healing like he did and frowned. She was so fucking tiny. And she was still a bit underweight, slow to add muscle and curves after nearly a year and a half with those scum keeping her on half rations and beating her, so that whatever resources she had from what little food she got went to healing her wounds rather than keeping her weight up. It didn't help that for the first six months of their partnership the two of them had been working constantly and only eating small regular meals. They hadn't had the coin for extras like fresh food. The garden on Universe's moon was a recent development, and only really considered because one of their jobs had thrown in a package of seeds. His weight had gone down, any body fat he'd had pared off and she'd never put any on.

The seeds had come with the comment of dubious faith in anyone's ability to make them produce crops, that was the only reason they'd even gotten them. Kitten had taken that as a challenge and after a couple hours research on the cortex she'd made him stop at a junkyard for aluminum hoops and corrugated sheeting.

That, along with plastic film, the stuff they used to call hab canvas back when they were starting out colonies on new worlds, and a lot of work on his and Kitten's part, had produced a decent sized greenhouse. Hauling water down to it had been mostly his job while Kitten figured out a way to pipe in a supply from the main building. They'd both worked on welding the piping once she had the plans worked out and rigged a couple of spray mechanisms along with a remote control once they were sure everything was working the way it should.

But it had still taken three months to actually grow their garden. After two weeks they'd gone back with a spare camera and Kitten had begun to monitor the growth. Their meals had slowly been augmented with fresh vegetables but apparently there was a concern about harvesting too much too soon or the plants would die. And seeds weren't cheap.

Kitten winced and moaned softly, so softly as if her energy was depleted completely, and his head jerked up as she shivered. A hand on her forehead told him her temperature was elevated. "Bloody fuck," He growled softly and grabbed her cortex, quickly looking up what to do for a fever and when it would become dangerous. "Stick with me Kitten. Hang on." That was the last thing she needed, to get an infection and spend her strength even more.

* * *

 

Heat, like waves off sand in the desert seemed to bombard her and she gasped for air. She was baking on this world of gold fields and angry mountains. Riddick's voice seemed to echo through her, ' _They say most of your brain shuts down in cryo sleep. All but the primitive side…the animal side._ '

She struggled to understand as a woman's voice echoed his, ' _Brain shuts down in cryo sleep… All but the primitive side…_ '

Breathing felt like Jayne's weights on her chest as she tried to pull in air. The world around her shifted, the fields becoming mass graves, an angry woman in their midst. ' _All but the Furyan side…_ ' Feathers and beads held braided hair back from a strong profile, bright silver eyes staring down at River. The dust seemed to swirl around their feed, dust demons ready to devour the weak.

' _Some of us still remember the true crime that happened here on Furya_ ,' Full lips twisted into a sneer as she looked down at River. The differences between the two women couldn't have been more plain, ' _If you wake… if you ever truly wake…_ ' Her silver gaze darkened, ' _If it's even possible for you, half breed that you obviously are…_ '

"What?" River shook her head. What was this woman talking about? Half breed? Truly wake?

' _You must come to Furya. Your work is not done_ ,' The woman insisted. ' _Come and wake. Wake and come finish your work, finish what you started._ '

She startled out of sleep as the woman's hand stretched towards her a gasp of shock on her lips. Dog looked up at her from the floor beside her and Riddick moved in the chair where he was sprawled, his hand touching her forehead gently. As Riddick moved Dog shifted away, giving the Furyan a wide berth as if uncertain of his mood.

"Riddick…" She could hardly speak, her throat dry with sleep.

"You got a fever Kitten," His voice was a low soothing rumble, chocolate and creamed coffee. "Just rest." He grabbed for a pitcher and filled a glass with water, his forearm sliding under her back carefully, so she could sit up slightly and drink.

"Riddick…" Her eyes went to his shoulder where she knew she'd been shot. By her count he'd taken at least three bullets. He'd carried her out, both of them bleeding, she'd felt his blood…

"Don't worry 'bout me, I'm fine." He had one of her dish towels dampened and was gently sponging off her face and neck. "Just want you to rest. Talked to our guy on Santo, we're headed there, but it's gonna take a couple weeks. He put me in touch with a doc, does work on us criminal types. Doc told me, try to keep your fever down, watch for infection, keep you hydrated."

She could hear what he was saying but he wasn't making sense, as if her brain was fuzzy. She hadn't been sick like this, hurt like this, in a long time. Not since the Academy. Not even fighting Reavers. When she opened her mouth to speak again he shook his head. "Kitten, you rest. Doc said you'll be fine in a couple weeks or so. Gonna make a stop and pick up some meds the Doc told me would get you on your feet quick. Won't take long, it's on our way."

"No money," She managed to get the words out.

"I got enough put away," He reassured her, his hand stroked her hair back from her forehead. "You don't worry Kitten. Just gotta get you well. You'll be up and kicking ass in no time."

She didn't have much choice, losing her grip on consciousness.

* * *

 

Riddick growled as he forked over the coin for the meds, he didn't like the look of the fella their contact had set him up with but the man didn't smell like he was lying. "And these'll get her on her feet?"

"It's a dermal mender, skin bandage," The man explained, adjusting his specs and shooting his cuffs nervously. "There's also a cleanser, just in case any foreign matter was missed. The cleanser is a foam. You shoot it into the wound, wait five minutes for it to harden and then remove it. It'll act like a magnet for any dirt or pieces of shrapnel in the wound and pull it all out. Then add this next tube, it's an antibiotic salve. Squirt that into the wound, all of it, then it'll heal more quickly. After that, cover the area with the skin bandage and use the heat activator. There'll be some discomfort but it should ease in five minutes once the bandage has adhered to the epidermis."

"And after that? How long?" He wasn't in the mood for generalities.

"It's going to depend on how much access to food and rest you have," The fellow shrugged apologetically. "You'll have to keep the patient hydrated and fed. After a week the skin should begin to heal over the skin bandage. That's why it's so expensive, it facilitates healing and doesn't need to be removed. It also decreases scar tissue so movement won't be impeded after the wound is healed." He ran a nervous hand over his hair and adjust his specs again. "I was a medic in the war. I'm not an expert but I know a doctor and he swears by this stuff. Flies with a crew that's always gettin' shot up."

"Right," Riddick folded his arms. "My partner, she don't have an infection but she's running a fever."

"Sounds like maybe a contaminant got in the wound." The man consulted a databook. "You said you used the cleanser until nothing more came out?"

"Yeah. And then again for good measure," He growled. "What kinda contaminant?"

The man, who really couldn't have been more than twenty-four, consulted his databook again. "Well a fever… means her system is trying to fight something off, or integrate it, the way the immune system would try to fight off a virus." He looked at Riddick, "Did you try to give her a transfusion?"

"Hell no!" He clenched his fists and reminded himself that killing the kid wouldn't help. "No! We ain't even set up for that. If we were I could give her a IV an' keep her hydrated that way."

"Well that isn't it then," The man who was looking younger and more uncertain by the second consulted his databook. "It really sounds like a bad reaction to a blood transfusion."

Riddick took a deep breath, "I got shot at the same time. Had to carry her out over my shoulder. If just some of my blood got into her gunshot, would that be enough to cause this sorta reaction?"

"It could be, especially if your blood types aren't compatible," The kid nodded. "Start out with making sure the wound is clean and do the skin bandage. If it's a bad reaction to your blood all you can really do is wait and keep her hydrated. From what you're saying she hasn't gone into shock from the foreign blood, if that's what it is, so she'll recover eventually."

"Yeah, right," Riddick nodded and picked up the bag of medical supplies. He was not looking forward to this. Kitten was uncomfortable enough without all this.

* * *

 

The dreams were going to make her insane. Her skin was on fire, disintegrating into ashes and falling into the sea of graves. The woman who was so like Riddick and at the same time so very different, sneered and simply repeated her commands to wake.

" _Wake and Look at our world, at the graves of those who didn't escape years ago. There is no future until we settle our past... for all of us who bear the mark._ "

Her side burned and she tried to flinch away only to be held down and the burning soil seemed to swallow her up. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move…

* * *

 

"Get the fuck off a her!" Riddick growled at Dog, which sent him scuttling away to hide under Kitten's bed. The idiot animal had climbed onto the couch and half laid upon Kitten wanting to be near her. He guessed Dog just wanted to help but now she was broiling and whimpering in her sleep. "I've got you Kitten, it's all right." He took a damp cloth out of the cold unit and began to lay it against her skin. Her moan of discomfort nearly killed him but she was burning up and the cold cloths were the only thing that brought her fever down.

* * *

 

"Riddick?" River blinked wondering why she was on the couch in the common space. Her partner was dozing in the chair and looked like he'd been on a five-day bender. His hair and beard had grown out more than she'd ever seen. Even on Not Furya he'd been more clean shaven than he was now. He looked worse than Jayne had after double shifts as a dock worker and then an eight-hour stint welding _Serenity_ together. Of course, she felt as if she'd been wrung out like a dishrag so she didn't have much room to throw stones.

"Kitten," Her big man startled awake and pushed out of the chair to feel her forehead. Frowning he pulled her shirt up to check her side and pressed on it carefully. "How's that feel?"

"Uncomfortable," River shook her head. "But not awful. What…" She looked around the common area. It looked as if he'd been camping out here. The galley table had the remains of their first aid kit along with a few things she only recognized because she'd seen Simon use them on Mal after his own run in with Niska. There was a pot of something on the stove that smelled like it could be chicken.

"Told ya, I stopped for some meds to help you." Riddick was very carefully moving her arms and legs. "How's this feel? Hurt any?"

"No," She looked at him and touched his beard with fingers that were shaking. "How long…"

"How long you been out?" Riddick smoothed a piece of hair away from her forehead. "Almost a week…maybe about five days. We're almost halfway ta Santo at our regular low burn." One strong arm slid under her back and helped her into a sitting position. "You hungry?"

River nodded slowly, he was looking at her as if she'd been at death's door. "I am a bit. Mostly shaky and feeling weak. And thirsty."

"Yeah," He nodded. "Figured you would be. I been spoonin' soup down your throat and water but it ain't much. And it ain't like you got a lotta weight to spare." He stood and dished up a bowl, bringing it over to her with a glass of mixed juice and helped her eat. "I checked and after five days you're okay to get the skin bandage wet. You want a shower? Wash your hair?"

She nodded feeling a bit stronger after the small meal. "Please."

"Right," He scooped her up holding her tightly and she could Read that he'd been terrified. Unable to do anything but clean her wounds, feed her and try to keep her fever down. And it had been all his fault, his blood seeping into her wound and causing such a reaction that she'd been closer to death than he'd ever seen her.

"I'm all right Riddick," She rubbed his uninjured shoulder. "Are you all right? Should you be carrying me?"

"'M fine." He shook his head, "You know how quick I heal." He opened the door to the head and sat her on the toilet. "I'll grab you some things from your room."

"Thank you," She looked at him as he paused in the doorway. "For…"

Her big partner shook his head, "You'd have done the same for me." His grin flashed, lightning fast against his dark beard, "You did, back on Not Furya, remember? _Zhì zhī sǐ dì ' ér hòu shēng_."

She shook her head, "Badgering you to not give up… Don't think it's the same thing."

"Is to me." He shrugged. "I'm gonna leave the door open, you holler if you have trouble."

 

* * *

 

He took a deep shuddering breath of relief and headed for the galley to clean it up. He hadn't done much beyond fix the pot of soup for Kitten, check the autopilot and eat MREs to keep up his strength. He hadn't even noticed the taste, everything was like dirt in his mouth, choked down so he could keep taking care of her. The rest of his time he'd spent in the chair next to her.

Her scent was changed, but the smell of fever had faded and that was what mattered to him the most. He couldn't quite place the difference in her scent. She'd always been unique, maybe because she was a genius, maybe because she was a Reader. But now there was an additional element to her personal scent. It was odd, a bit familiar but just changed enough by her body chemistry that he didn't recognize it.

Cleaning the galley wasn't hard, putting away the remains of the first aid kit didn't take long. They'd have to stock up on medical stuff again. But it did take him some time to strip the couch of the sheets he'd covered it with to make it more comfortable for her and remove the waterproof canvas he'd used under it. The steel top galley table had been easy enough to disinfect but he'd taken steps to protect the couch in case her wound had started bleeding again.

He wondered if she would think it cold, that he'd cared enough to keep the furniture from getting stained with blood or if she'd appreciate that neither of them would be smelling old blood months from now until they could replace the couch cushions. As it was the chair he'd been sleeping in was a mess, the cushions nearly flattened and pushed out of shape. He'd have to sit in a different one for a while.

He couldn't stop listening for her, the sound of her moving carefully in the shower, the scent of her shampoo, faint as it was, and the soap they both used. He stopped his cleaning and went to her room, keying in the codes and grabbing a set of her underwear, cargo pants and a button up shirt thinking she wouldn't be up to a pullover just yet.

She was just stepping out of the shower, a towel barely covering her and squeaked at the sight of him. The purely feminine reaction nearly made him grin, and his mouth jerked upward in response as he held out the clothing, putting it on the ledge next to the sink. "Clothes." He eyed her in concern, only noting the long legs in the back of his brain, "You need a hand?"

"Will be all right for five minutes." Her mouth quirked up in a half smile.

"Five minutes," He warned her and closed the door most of the way. Her hair was soaked and dripping and if she was any longer than that he wouldn't be able to stop himself from going in, drying her off and dressing her himself, contrary as that went to his normal instincts. Wet hair in the cool ship atmosphere could give her a chill and she didn't need that after she'd had a fever.

Killing time, he grabbed a set of his own clothing and set them on the bed before going back to the galley to throw a couple of the MREs Kitten favored into the heater and mixing up more juice. It was five minutes down to the second when the door to the head opened again and he looked into the hallway to see Kitten coming out slowly, her wet hair falling down her back.

Before he could stop himself, he was moving towards her and scooping her up into his arms again, bringing her to the galley and setting her in a chair.

* * *

 

River rubbed her eyes as she moved towards the galley and staved off her partner's move to scoop her up into his arms, "Richard B. Riddick I swear if you don't let me walk I will show you exactly what I learned about incapacitating males at the Academy." His growl of frustration was more than a little amusing but if he didn't let her walk on her own she might just lose the ability.

"Just worried about you Kitten," Her big man smiled a bit sheepishly. "You still seem tired."

She nodded, "Range of motion is back to normal." She poured him some coffee and did the same for herself. "But sleep is…difficult." She shrugged. It was an understatement. Ever since she'd been shot she'd been having dreams, dreams of Furya, the same place she'd seen in Riddick's mind. Only her dreams had a woman in them. She'd figured out after the second night, the second night she'd been conscious for the day at least, that the woman was Shirah. The Furyan woman Riddick dreamed about.

She hadn't been thrilled with River from the first, thinking her some sort of inferior type of Furyan, a half breed. But then Riddick had explained that her fever was likely because some of his blood had gotten in her wound while he'd been carrying her out. Her body had burned with fever while it tried to deal with the foreign blood.

In the end, her body had managed to deal with his blood, foreign though it was and she'd come out of the fever. She couldn't have imagined the result, that Riddick's blood would make her, in a peculiar way, Furyan. Not quite like him, but just enough to be noticeable to the entity that was Shirah. River really could have done without that.

That night Shirah had been furious, calling her all sorts of names, and mistake had been the kindest. Apparently Furyan blood would breed true, even in the least of the race. That River was so small and pale had confused the woman at first. But learning that River was only Furyan through the most tenuous of connections made more sense.

And that was something Shirah could not abide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So they made it out. More or less in one piece, which is good. Most people don't realize the complications that can ensue when you get the wrong blood type. And Riddick being Furyan, slightly different than human, I thought that would make things even more unusual. Plus, there've been so many takes on blood bonds, rituals, that sort of thing with a deliberate blood exchange (including me) that I wanted something like that to happen completely by accident.
> 
> And now they have to avoid Serenity and Niska. Fun times.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> Tā mā de niǎo (goddamn it /lit. 'His mother's dick')
> 
> Zhì zhī sǐ dì ' ér hòu shēng (place somebody on a field of death and he will fight to live - common saying based on Sunzi's "The Art of War"; to fight desperately when confronting mortal danger / fig. to find a way out of an impasse)


	19. Come Not Between The Dragon And His Wrath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Come not between the dragon and his wrath.  
> I loved her most and thought to set my rest  
> On her kind nursery.—
> 
> -King Lear, William Shakespeare

She woke up nearly screaming in frustration. Between dreams of her partner, touching and kissing her as if he wanted her, and Shirah interrupting them she wasn't getting much quality sleep. Riddick was still hovering a bit, still worried about her and trying to get her to eat more.

The last thing she wanted to hear was that she was too thin, too small, too anything. That was all she heard from Shirah when the woman barged into her dreams of Riddick kissing her. 'He'll never want you as you are.' The blonde woman berated her. ' _He wants someone strong, a woman of his own kind. A warrior of the same caliber and stature as he._ '

Every night for weeks. They'd picked up their cargo on Santo and done their semi-regular run out to Three Hills. Then to Kerry. To Persephone and Pelorum. They'd stopped on Dyton and ran out to Vishnu. Cargo, a bank job, more cargo and a salvage job to bring protein bars to Santo and pick up more cargo.

They'd seen Badger while they'd been on Persephone, it had been his work that had sent them to Pelorum and Dyton. Riddick had taken the wave, cautious about any communication that might tell _Serenity's_ crew where she was.

"'Allo 'allo," Badger had greeted him. "Got a job out Dyton way, if you're interested? Needs an expert husker an' brass tacks are ain't no one can touch that little _bàng jiār_ o' yours."

"You alone," Riddick had practically snarled the question.

Badger's mouth had tightened until he'd realized why Riddick was asking and he'd swung the cortex around to give them a three sixty view of the room. "Only me an' my fellows here. None o' that crew 'round here. They're looking in all sort o' places for you two."

"You tell 'em anythin' after we left?" Riddick asked as River took a seat beside him so Badger could see her.

"Not a dickey," The Dyton native replied with a shake of his head. "If you recall," He addressed River, "I'd only seen you the once, back when Reynolds got himself in trouble at that shindig. Able to tell 'em honestly enough that I didn't know you. Accent wasn't the same and you aren't the same either."

"It would please me if you kept it that way," River said quietly. "What sort of husking work did you need done?"

They'd gone into the particulars of the job on Dyton then, and Badger had ended the wave with the promise of a data chit with the specifications they'd need when they met on Persephone.

* * *

 

Riddick frowned as he worked the barbell up and down. Dog had disappeared, and he guessed he was with Kitten while she worked on some programing/husking for the job they had coming up.

Apparently, there was a recent wreck out near Vishnu that would bring them some valuable salvage. Badger had turned them on to it after they'd sent his share of the job on Dyton back to him via secure wave. He'd mentioned that they'd likely find a buyer on Santo but if not, so long as they didn't flash their asses at the gorram law he'd be happy to take it off their hands. From the displeased expression on the little crime boss's face Riddick gathered someone had done just that at one point. A glance at Kitten told him it had been her old crew. Didn't argue much for their competence in his mind. Kitten made a little face as the thought crossed his brain but didn't say anything against it. He guessed they did the best they could but from what she'd said her old Captain trusted to luck a little too much for her comfort.

"Anything we need to know about the salvage?" Kitten had asked as looked up the wreck in question and whistled, "Very recent."

"Yeah, rumor is Reavers hit that one and it's been on the drift, ain't a body willin' to touch it, not even for a sweet take," Badger had nodded. "Salvage looks to be protein bars, type that'll feed a family for a week."

"Two if they don't like their kids much," Kitten nodded her understanding and tilted her head thoughtfully. "Alliance goods." She glanced at Riddick.

"So they'd be imprinted then?" Riddick caught on to what she hadn't said. "If we get caught with 'em…"

"It's your _pì gu_ and mine," Badger nodded again. "But the rumor is you two have a way of getting what you need without the law even gettin' a whiff o' what you're about."

"We go up against anything Reavers've messed with, there's likely traps laid for anyone comes lookin'," Riddick reminded him. "Gonna have to make a stop." He looked at Kitten, "Time we shelled out for that body armor."

"For both," She reminded him firmly.

"Yeah, yeah," He sighed but capitulated. If it got her into armor he'd wear the stuff too. He'd die of a heart attack or have some sort of nervous breakdown if she got shot again.

"No patrols scheduled for the area," River was husking the law enforcement cortex again. "Badger, you're certain if we can't find a buyer on Santo that you'll take the goods?"

"So long as no one knows you've got 'em, I'll take 'em off o' your hands," Badger nodded. "I've got a guy on Santo, I'll send you his coordinates."

"Better than nosin' around tryin' to find a buyer," Riddick agreed. "We'll wave you when it's done, you give your guy a heads up."

"Ta for a lovely chat then," Badger tipped his hat as he cut the wave.

Riddick looked at Kitten, "We be able to find what we need on Vishnu?"

She was already working on it, sending specs over to his screen with a flick of her fingers, "Think we have."

"Impact distribution chestplate, spine guard, mesh side wraps and shoulder and thigh pieces with distribution plates…" Riddick whistled, "Goes under clothing… What's the catch?"

"Half price for hers, full for Riddick's, since her size is rare and his is more common. Seller's market for his armor, buyers for hers." She explained. "Works out to a good price for both."

"I'll go to hard burn for a couple hours, get us to Vishnu quick to pick it up." He'd nodded and rubbed his eyes. Sleep was coming harder as part of his mind wanted to avoid his dreams. Shirah had a bug up her ass about Kitten somethin' fierce.

He could just hear that bitch's voice in his head, ' _She is not Furyan. She is not worthy of you. Discard her. Find Furya and fulfill your destiny._ '

He'd argued, ignored and then shouted right back at the blonde bitch but nothing had stopped her barrage of insults to Kitten. ' _She's nothing. She's an unworthy runt and should be killed out of hand. She distracts you from your true destiny. She will hold you back. You must find Furya._ '

He'd woken up at that point just to get away from her and wishing it was possible to gut someone in his dreams and have them stay dead.

* * *

 

River keyed in the encryption code to _Sanguine's_ airlock panel and gave Riddick a nod. "Ready." She gave their surroundings a wary look. Dusty, dirty and smelly, Vishnu was not one of the planets she'd visited before. Their docks were similar to Eavesdown but without even the slightest attempt at organization and made even more difficult to navigate by the clouds of dust so thick it resembled fog.

Riddick was eyeing the area with a disdainful look on his face, the hot wind blew dust towards them and she pushed her own goggles on. Named for the second god of the Hindu Trimurti, the planet was as hot as India had been rumored to be. But drought had hit this area hard and all the soil was turning to dust and blowing away.

"Have to pick up stakes and move, nothing left here to harvest," River murmured and Riddick tugged her closer to his side as they walked.

"Yeah, does have the look of a place ready to be dumped at a moment's notice," He agreed.

"Shake and bake colony," She explained as they headed for the market, a center of tents, lean tos and shacks as temporary as the rest of the buildings. "Put them up, take them down, move around. Nomadic but taking years instead of days to move."

"Dust is gonna clog our lungs," He pulled a scarf over his mouth and nose and she did the same, winding it around her head to protect her skin. Everyone around them, that they could see anyway, was wearing similar gear so they'd barely be noticed.

"Almost there," River nudged him towards a shack that looked like it would fall over at any moment.

"Haggle but not too much, let's get this done and get gone." Riddick was anxious to leave this noxious place.

"Agreed."

* * *

 

By mutual agreement they'd taken a day to spar and work out while wearing the armor in an effort to get used to moving with it. He tended to shrug off the weight as unimportant while she simply calculated the extra effort needed to move as she normally would while wearing it. Both of them had decided that easy as it seemed it was better to wear it and become accustomed before they put it to work.

It was a good thing too.

The wreck had definitely been taken by Reavers. She'd been able to feel their echoes as they neared the ship. " _Ō, zhè zhēn shì ge kuàilè de jìnzhǎn_." She shook her head and began to run every protection protocol she'd developed. "Rumors are not only rumors. Reavers, most definitely," She told her partner. "If we want the salvage we'll have to deal with what they've left."

"They left Reavers on the boat?" Riddick was staring at it with narrowed eyes and she nodded.

"Tortured and killed most of the passengers and crew." She looked at him, "He has never dealt with them before?"

"Only seen the Miranda wave and heard of 'em," He'd answered grimly, obviously recalling what he'd seen.

"No mercy, no quarter, they don't understand it and will give none," River shook her head as he made to dock with the other ship. "Don't! Not yet," She brought up one of the exterior eyes and showed him the trap, "If we dock we'll be tethered here, for when they return."

" _Tā mā de dì yù_ ," Her partner cursed. "Gotta go out and disarm it before we can dock?"

"Precisely," River nodded. "Won't take long. Not a sophisticated trap, just a cunning one, for the unwary. _Serenity_ was caught in similar once. Delayed departure. Feds came upon us just after."

"Lemme get her situated so we ain't so noticeable," Riddick began to move the _Sanguine_ so she lined up under the airlock, the bulk of the wreck hiding her. "I'll help you get suited up."

"Will put tools into the airlock, magnetic clamps as well," She got up and headed for the cargo bay.

* * *

 

The ship had gravity and air so they didn't have to wear their EVA suits to do the salvage. To use an old Rim expression it was colder than a witch's tit inside, but they'd deal with it. The airlocks showed evidence of being pried open though. Riddick watched Kitten's face as she boarded the wrecked boat. He hadn't seen that expression on her face since he'd killed Santana, almost feral, waiting for blood. Her name fit her more than ever, he could practically see her claws as she stalked forward. It was as sexy as seeing her all geared up for battle.

"Kitten," He kept his voice to a murmur. Her scent was odd too, almost predatory. "Somethin' you wanna tell me?"

"Anticipates battle," She shot him a quick look and a half smile. "Braced against the screaming and embracing the part of her that fights and doesn't hear."

That explained it, well somewhat anyway. "Right. You wanna go through this boat the way we did the other one? Or just grab what we came for and go?"

She stopped walking and her scent took on that steel and blood smell that meant she was listening to something he'd never be able to hear. "Like tracking rabbits or mosquitos," She murmured. "Difficult to predict. We will have…three days, two at the least, to get the job done. But we will need to deal with the newborns first."

"Newborns?" He'd repeated cautiously. The way she'd said it did not indicate babies of the cute, cuddly and smelly type.

"Newborn Reavers," Her voice was absentminded. "Killed everyone but made them watch. Turned them."

"Contagion of the mind," He remembered nodding. "Well let's get the salvage, put it in our airlock, and then we'll go through the rest of the ship. We can pick stuff up as we go. Even use that new program you put in to power the _Sanguine's_ airlock doors and move stuff into the bay if we find enough that it's worth the risk."

"Sound notion," Her voice was a little more present now. She turned purposefully towards the forward cargo bay and guided him to the trove of protein bars.

He frowned as he recalled the last snag they'd run into on a salvage job, "Any Alliance boats about?"

That brought her up short but after a brief pause she shook her head, "Five days out. Not concerned with this part of the Black."

"All right then, let's get goin'," He grinned.

He'd no sooner spoken the words than they were attacked.

* * *

 

River had ducked instinctively as the Reaver hurled itself around the corner. It leapt over her and landed on her partner, who with instincts of his own, had thrown the Reaver off and into the corridor wall.

She'd positioned herself to guard his back as the Reaver seemed fixed on Riddick and there was at least one, maybe two more on board. If Riddick was animalistic, a Reaver was rabid. Snarling, biting and practically frothing at the mouth, clawing and trying to tear his throat out.

For all its mania Riddick dealt with it quickly, grabbing hold of it by the neck and with one swift jerk snapping its spine.

Around the corner came the next screaming mind she'd heard and with her sword and axe out she was able to cut it down before it even laid a hand on her. The third came right on its heels and was dispatched summarily with another slice of her sword.

She wrinkled her nose, she had blood on her face and in her hair, but at least the ship was quieter now. The dead still cried out but the dead still living were silenced. Reavers died in the moment they were born and after death they were the only ones she never heard again.

"Let's get going," She sheathed her sword and hung her axe in its place. "Don't Hear any more of them."

Riddick was giving her an admiring look and she grinned at him, part of her wondering just how Shirah was going to react to that.

 

* * *

 

She was dreaming again. She knew it. But it didn't matter. The dream was simply a memory given life and elaboration.

Riddick's worry for her had been a tangible thing when she stepped out of the head, hair wet and tangled down her back. He'd taken the towel and wrapped her hair in it, squeezing the excess water out and breathing in her scent as if to reassure himself that she was with him.

"Was going to comb it out," She offered quietly. "Just couldn't move my right arm as well."

"Yeah," His voice was warm and wrapped around her like a fur stole. "I gotcha Kitten." He'd taken the comb from her fingers and carefully begun to unsnarl her hair, drying it as much as he could and retrieving another towel to squeeze more water out of it before he began to braid it out in soft plaits down her back

"Hmm… feels good," She'd murmured drowsily. She could hear his thoughts, contentment flowing through him as he braided her hair and took care of her, satisfaction that she let him, that he was able to do so. Pleasure in the feel of her hair and wonder at the length of it, falling to her hips once it was untangled.

The dream had deviated from reality, Riddick's warm sensual mouth had moved from her crown to her cheek and mouth, and then her throat, his hands squeezing her body tightly, pulling her close to his so she could feel his skin against hers. "Beautiful," His voice had growled the compliment as if it was fact.

She hadn't been able to object, his mouth had devoured hers, tongue thrusting between her lips and his hands…his hands caressed and squeezed and nimble fingers had found every sensitive part, plucking her nerves like the strings of a guitar.

Then his hand had cupped between her thighs, his thumb rubbing unerringly against her _yīn dì_ and she'd felt his _diǎo_ pressing forward teasing her with pressure.

' _Rutting like pigs on the ground_ ,' Shirah's voice was worse than a bucket of cold water, jerking her out of her more than pleasant dream and into the war torn hellscape that was Furya. ' _How… appropriate._ ' Cold eyes dragged over River's naked body, Riddick vanishing from her arms like smoke. ' _Why do you persist? You're nothing to him. He'll never want you. He'll never love you. He has no true use for you, keeping you with him out of sentiment and pity._ '

"That's not true," River had climbed to her feet, the tunic and tights she'd worn in the Academy covering her in an old defense. "Riddick is my friend. My _bàng jiār_."

' _You mean bàng jiār_ ,' Shirah changed the emphasis of the words to reflect nothing but a business arrangement. ' _Such self-deceit._ '

"Riddick doesn't lie. He has said the girl is his partner, his equal. Believes she is strong. Capable." River shot back.

' _Until you can't keep up. Until he sees just how weak you are. Small and delicate. A Core bred beauty of no real use in the world he inhabits,_ ' Shirah retorted. ' _He will never consider you a true equal for you never can be. You'll never be truly Furyan. Never be what he needs. You're the moon, pale, reflecting light. He needs the sun. Strong and fierce and burning for vengeance. You ought to leave while he would still think on you fondly._ '

"You're wrong," River shook her head. She'd woken up and gone to work with the weights and sandbag, unable to sleep anymore and part of her wondering if Shirah was right. Was that why Riddick didn't think of having her in his bed anymore?

 

* * *

 

Through all of it, workouts, sparring, practicing and work on a multitude of different moons, trying to avoid seeing her partner in any state of nudity to keep from tempting her imagination and desires, Shirah badgered her to leave. River had been trying to hide how she felt from Riddick. It wouldn't do to let slip why she was having such trouble sleeping. How her erotic dreams of him turned to abuse from the ghost of Furya. But Shirah was implacable. Impossible to ignore. Impossible to hide from the wraith inhabiting her mind along with Riddick's blood. She wasn't good enough for Riddick and never would be. Every night Shirah fed upon her insecurities and fears. It was enough to make her want to scream.

And every morning Riddick would greet her with a warm smile, call her Kitten and every morning she'd try to ignore what she'd dreamed the night before. Because this was her best friend. Her partner. He trusted her at his back, to be on his side, believed in her, that she was his equal. She knew no one had ever been that for him before. She'd realized after a few months that he was the same for her. Riddick was the first person to take her as she was, without irritation or wanting her to stifle her intellect or instincts to accommodate him, besides Simon whose love had been unconditional. To find that in someone who could keep up with her, expected her to keep up with him… Riddick was a treasure. And he was worth any amount of discomfort. Even constant nocturnal badgering.

"Comin' up on Santo," He'd remarked as he handed her a cup of coffee to drink while she fixed breakfast. "Figure we sell off that protein, see what we can get for the rest of the salvage we picked up. Then we can take that time off we talked about."

She nodded her agreement, "Will do our bank accounts good. And the rest will do us good." They'd been working nonstop in an attempt to replenish their accounts after the engine upgrade and airlock addition. They'd both had to replace their ruined clothing. Though thanks to his care they didn't have to replace the couch or its cushions. Finally, finally, they were going to give themselves a day of R&R on Santo before they left with their cargo.

Riddick grinned at her, "Wobbly headed doll caper is a go." He parroted her words from a year ago back at her.

"My big man is very silly sometimes," River confided to Dog. "Go ask Daddy for breakfast."

Dog knew 'breakfast' and 'Daddy' like he knew the smell of meat. His tail smacked her thigh as he turned to push his nose into Riddick's lap.

"Told you not to call me his daddy," Riddick grumbled, though his mind was amused at Dog's antics. "Just sounds wrong."

"But he loves you like a _Bà ba_ ," River grinned over her shoulder at him. "Raised him from a pup like your own."

"Yeah, my escape artist," Riddick petted dog as he poured food into a bowl for him. "Gotta head back to Universe's moon, or somewhere else we can let him run. He's gettin' antsy."

"Sure it's only him?" She finished scrambling the egg mixture and added dill and onion to it along with chunks of fried sausage. "Seems like you're getting a bit itchy yourself."

"Could use a stretch of the legs," He admitted. "Santo's got plenty of clubs if you wanna go dancin'."

"Might like that," She smiled. "Been a while."

"Yeah, between avoiding Niska and evading your old crew, we ain't had much time to relax." Riddick set the table. "I figure Santo's as good a place as any. An' you said they don't have much work comes outa there."

"Wobbly headed dolls once," River recalled. "Before we stole a Lassiter."

"Damn, that's a hell of a score, if you can unload it," Riddick whistled as she brought the plates over. "How'd you manage that?"

River grinned and began to tell him about visiting Bellerophon and how they'd managed such an accomplishment.

"I can kill you with my brain," Riddick repeated his favorite part when she was done with the story. "I fuckin' love that Kitten."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So now we have Shirah really not pleased with what's going on. I have a theory that Furyan blood acts as a sort of… virus? Furyans can survive so much, I had the idea that their blood, transfused to someone else, would change them the way a virus would, only instead of dead virus like an immunization, the blood would be live virus, which is always dangerous. Basically if you survive you're changed. In River's case, enough that Shirah sees her as Furyan until she learns otherwise. This Shirah is less than sympathetic to anything that doesn't further her own goals. Anyone got any guesses as to what those goals might be?
> 
> I always thought as problematic as the Reavers were there had to be more ships that were hit by them than just the one we saw on Firefly. It's just who knows about them and who has the guts to board a ghost ship to get whatever goods can be salvaged. So I thought people like Riddick and River would be prime candidates for those sorts of jobs.
> 
> I had someone comment on shutting the ship down and then flooding another ship with warm air which would light it up on sensors. It was implied that I was sort of idiotic for coming up with that. I'll just point out that making air (or anything) warm out in space takes energy. So just because they're flooding the ship with air doesn't mean the air is warm. And even some slightly warmer air wouldn't immediately negate the cold of a dead ship. Those two would rather work in near freezing temperatures than send up flags for the law.
> 
> Sorry, long note, but next chapter or the one after we should meet someone familiar. Three guesses who.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> bàng jiār (lover / partner)
> 
> pì gu (butt)
> 
> Ō, zhè zhēn shì ge kuàilè de jìnzhǎn (Oh, this is a happy development)
> 
> Tā mā de dì yù (fucking hell)
> 
> yīn dì (clitoris)
> 
> diǎo (cock)
> 
> Bà ba (Dad, pops, daddy)
> 
> Rhyming Slang:
> 
> Brass Tacks – Facts
> 
> Dickey (bird) - Word


	20. And Though She Be But Little, She Is Fierce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, when she's angry, she is keen and shrewd!  
> She was a vixen when she went to school.  
> And though she be but little, she is fierce.
> 
> -A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare

River slipped through the crowd and looked around the bar. Her partner was here, the dim light and cheap beer suited him fine. And as usual he would be surrounded by women. He was like catnip. She understood the attraction, but if these women knew a tenth of what she did... She smiled wryly; they'd still flock to him. Riddick was simply that beautiful and that charismatic. Even she, traumatized as she'd been, hadn't failed to see that more than a year ago. And appreciate it. Now, no longer traumatized, at least noticeably, she could appreciate it even more. Unfortunately, along with that appreciation came some envy of the women who could simply drape themselves over him and enjoy those big hands on their bodies.

River sighed slightly as she gazed around the bar. A growing part of her hated that Riddick did this; he went to whores and bars and didn't seem to even consider her as a woman anymore. Part of him did, but he was so used to putting that part of his mind away, of stifling those thoughts that she was fairly certain he didn't want to think of her as a woman. She was his, his little Kitten, his partner, his crew. But he had put thoughts of her as a potential lover far away. She'd needed him to do that while she'd been healing during the early part of their association but now...

Now the attraction had grown on her part to include dreams and fantasies and need between her thighs for his body. Now that he was ignoring the fact that she was female altogether. The timing would have been laughable if it wasn't so frustrating. And painful. She'd had more erotic thoughts about his hands and mouth than she had normal ones these days. Well, almost, she amended. But there were also the daydreams about his body, his _diǎo_ , his backside… Even if the thought of being with him made her nervous…she wanted him. He just didn't seem to want her anymore. Not that she could tell anyway. His mental control and habit of stomping down his thoughts nearly before he had them was painfully effective in keeping her from Reading him. She couldn't Read what he didn't think or feel.

The worst part of it wasn't not knowing how he felt. Even the almost painfully acute physical attraction she had for him…she could deal with it. No, the worst part was knowing that this was more than physical, at least on her part. She could hide it from Riddick, hide it from the rest of the 'Verse, but she couldn't deceive herself any longer.

She paused at the edge of the floor where dancers were gyrating wildly and found him over by the bar. He had a woman hanging on his arm, pretty much in his lap, and another one leaning against his opposite side. The one on his arm had the type of curves he favored, full and sexual, an armful of woman he wouldn't have to worry about hurting when he took her to bed. Long red hair hung down her back in tousled waves. River had a very good view of her back, and her partner's hand on the woman's _pì gu_.

That was another deficiency, one Shirah loved needling her about. She wasn't tall and curvy and sturdy looking. Every whore he'd enjoyed, every woman he'd picked up in a bar was similar in build. His hands couldn't span their waists and their _shuāng rǔ_ were large enough to fill his palms. He didn't have to worry about holding back his strength out of concern he'd break them. Didn't have to hold back his desires for fear he'd scare them. His bedmates were everything she wasn't. Experienced, curvaceous and beautiful. Her partner had very good taste really. If only she didn't want to kick him in the head for it.

Riddick's mind was very pleased, he had a beer, enjoyed watching the dancers though he'd been mentally comparing their skill level to hers. He'd come to the conclusion that they weren't any match for her. River grinned and decided she'd give him something better to watch. She liked to dance in bars anyway, it was mostly women on the floor, displaying for the men. And when she danced, Riddick's mind was always warm and appreciative. She needed that right now. Her half-formed intention of finding a man the way Riddick was finding a woman had died at the feel of the strange minds pushing at her thoughts. There was no one who could compare with her partner, no one she could trust. And no one who would understand why if she panicked at the last minute, she added with a mental sigh.

A Companion would understand, she'd be able to explain, to tell the man why she was so afraid, if not the specifics. Companions were trained to help victims of trauma like hers, to carefully show a man or woman that sex was pleasurable, not painful. Beautiful, not repulsive. Loving, not a rage filled assault. But even using Inara's name as an in, there was no way she could afford a Companion. There were ways to see a Companion for therapy, her Healer would recommend one, and the cost would be less since it would be part of her healing. There were still hardly any male Companions not on Sihnon. And those that weren't in the Core were on Persephone and booked for a year in advance. So she'd still need to figure out how she would explain the trip to Sihnon to Riddick? I'm sorry that we have to go to the Core but I need someone to have sex with me so I don't jump you the next time you come out of the shower? Embarrassing for them both now that he'd firmly put her in the friend zone.

Maybe she should visit a sex shop, find something that ran on batteries? But where could she use it that Riddick wouldn't hear, or worse, smell? Even if she used it while he was off the ship, he'd know when he came back. The man could smell sex, the scent of a woman's arousal. He'd told her once that was how he knew if a woman was actually interested in him or faking it. So, if she bought a toy and used it anywhere on the ship he'd know.

That would be worse than embarrassing. Humiliation at the thought made her nearly cringe. Buying and using a toy like the ones Kaylee had referred to so often was as good as saying she couldn't keep a man interested in her. Even though such needs were normal and natural, the idea of Riddick pitying her… Merciful Buddha she'd rather combust from unrequited lust than have Riddick look at her as if she was pathetic.

The whole idea of a toy was made academic by the fact that she didn't really find the idea appealing. She wanted Riddick, not some stupid toy, or Companion or even a 'date' for the evening. The thought of another man's hands on her was…unappealing. Nearly repugnant. No one else would be her partner. No one else would have such an elegantly organized mind and warm thoughts. Even Jayne, who was a fairly impressive physical specimen when she considered him objectively, fell short of her ideal. His mind was simple and affectionate but he wasn't Riddick. Riddick was the only man who made her feel safe. She wanted her partner and the possessive comfort of his mind and the strength in his hands. Needed his knowledge of her history and his beautiful eyes looking at her. And it was never going to happen. So…

Dancing. Dancing and training, almost obsessively, were the only things keeping her from screaming in frustration. Ever since she'd felt Riddick with Dahl it had gotten worse. She'd had random thoughts before that. She'd snuck looks at him and felt tantalizing warmth creep through her at the sight of his body and feel of his amused mind. He always knew when she looked, like he could feel her eyes, and he never hid himself. He'd stretch and spar with her and she could enjoy the physical perfection of him. But she wasn't who he wanted. Not anymore. So she could dance in a bar, feel Riddick watching her, that warm appreciation of her talent and grace and comfort herself that in that at least he thought her…beautiful for a while anyway.

She'd dressed in a manner appropriate for a bar, no guns, just her knives. Fluttering long sleeves covered her to her wrists though the neckline of the blouse dipped low and the hem drifted around her hips. Riddick had convinced her to try a pair of leather trousers when they'd replaced their clothing ruined during Niska's ambush, insisting that it was easier to wipe blood off them than it was to continually wash her cargo pants. So she'd worn them tonight in the hopes of breaking them in. The leather did feel good against her skin, suede on the inside was silky on her legs. And a good basic black went nicely with the dark blue blouse.

River felt the moment Riddick saw her on the dance floor, his mind seemed to light up with anticipation and she grinned. She'd pinned her hair back, long braids wound into a tight chignon and made up her eyes. She loved to dance with her hair flying but Riddick hadn't ever seen that. Her hair had been loose when the mercs grabbed her so she wouldn't go out with it down anymore. She'd tried once and nearly had a panic attack at the cargo bay doors. Dog had howled and Riddick had pulled her back where she was safe. Her hair down was for the ship, and only in her room. So Riddick was fixing his concentration on her neck and the lines of her body, the fluttering of her hands and the movement of her legs and hips.

The music was like a heartbeat. It pounded and throbbed through her body. She couldn't help the laugh that fell from her lips, felt Riddick's pleased smile aimed at her and twirled madly to the music. Riddick needed a woman, and she needed to dance. If she had still wanted to pick up a 'date' for the night she'd have had her pick. Her movements were drawing the attention of several men, all of whom were very appreciative of her grace and picturing her in their beds. Or, in one case, against a wall.

River frowned. She wasn't paying attention to Riddick's current amour for any other reason than to look out for her partner. She wasn't jealous, River told herself firmly. She wasn't envious of that woman's body and curves, that she had Riddick's hand on her ass. The hell she wasn't, River nearly scowled. She could feel herself turning green. But there was still something familiar about that red hair. Something that niggled at her brain.

* * *

 

Riddick liked this bar. The music was good; the beer was decent and cheap. Really, the beer was more cheap than decent but at the moment he and Kitten couldn't afford better. Running from her old crew and laying low because of the mercs, and Niska, didn't give them their pick of jobs, so their choice of planets were limited too. That had been getting better lately though. Badger liked that they were reliable and he'd passed the word to some others that they got the job done with a minimum of fuss. At least the women here were...well plentiful and seemed pretty willing. He needed a willing woman. It was getting too hard to keep his beautiful crewmate out of his thoughts. And his imagination was entirely too good.

He was grateful these days that River slept when he did, because if his little Kitten had seen his dreams she'd know without a doubt that he wanted her more and more by the day. His dreams didn't wake her anymore. She slept more deeply these days than she had when they were first traveling together, and so did he, both of them more trusting of each other. He wasn't going to mess that up. She didn't deserve to have the things in his mind pushed into her thoughts. The things he wanted to do to her, with her, would scare the hell out of her and that was the last thing he wanted.

All he could think of lately was how pale her skin was and how dark he'd look against her, how he wanted to watch his cock sink inside her pale white body and make her flush with passion and pleasure. Fantasies of putting his hands on her silky skin, cupping those pretty breasts and doing everything he'd been dreaming of since he'd seen her on Not Furya were just about driving him crazy. He'd been wearing out the whores he'd visited, thoughts of his Kitten rousing him to new heights.

Something was off with her lately though and he'd been worrying she'd overheard some of his thoughts. Usually the two of them would pass a good amount of time in the Black training or sparring. Until they'd gotten the body armor she hadn't wanted to spar, had flat out told him no when he'd asked, and he'd been worried she was angry with him. But her anger was usually accompanied by objects flying at his head and she hadn't acted angry. Just distant. It felt like being cut off from water or oxygen.

He'd finally asked her if something was wrong and she'd shaken her head. She'd smelt…sad. Twists of pain threading into her scent and he'd had to fight the urge to wrap her in his arms and promise her he'd fix whatever it was hurting her. But if she wouldn't tell him what it was, it might mean he was hurting her. So he'd redoubled his efforts to control his dreams, to bury his thoughts of her. He'd forced himself to not even think of those long tantalizing moments on Not Furya watching her bathe. Forbade himself from dwelling on the scent of her pillow when Dog would steal it, or how good she smelled all hot and sweaty from dancing. She didn't want him like that and he was not going to hurt her by thinking of his little Kitten that way. They didn't have money for a whorehouse after the mess with Niska. So he hit the bars.

He hadn't been at the bar more than ten minutes before the curvy armful had introduced herself. Vanessa had pressed right up against him and wiggled. "Someone seems pleased to see me," She'd chuckled at him.

He'd grinned slightly, "Guess there ain't a man alive wouldn't be pleased to see you." No, he hadn't minded her being pressed up against him at all.

Another girl was on his other side, she had dark hair like his little partner and curves that were sleeker than Vanessa's. She'd introduced herself as Chloe. He was pretty sure they didn't make women any more made for sex than his current lapful of woman. Vanessa smelled pretty good, a little too sweet but he could deal with that for a taste of those breasts. Pressed against his chest and arm, he pictured them in his hands and figured they might just be bigger than his palms.

Vanessa was asking him if he had a place they could go, somewhere with privacy and Riddick chuckled, "Guess you're useta someplace with a bed an' pillows?"

She'd tilted her head at him like she was thinking about it and gave him a slow smile, "Aw, sweetie, for a taste of you, I'd give up the pillows. But a girl likes something soft at her back."

That had gotten him chuckling, "Well what if I was the one on my back. We need a mattress then?"

"Oh, you'd be satisfied with once?" Vanessa had returned and he'd looked her up and down and gave a slow shake of his head.

"Not hardly," He bent his head to her neck and inhaled, sweet scents, like caramel and marshmallow fluff. "Just let me finish my beer."

He'd picked it up with the intent of sipping it slowly, just to draw out the flirting and groping, build himself some nice memories of woman flesh for his dreams when the door to the bar had opened again. Out of habit Riddick always kept an eye on the exits and entrances. He could see the door, barely, but every time it opened a fresh breeze stirred the air and blew the smoke around. For a minute or two he could breathe freely and then the door closed and the air was filled with cigar smoke, the smell of alcohol, cheap sex and perfume.

When his little partner stepped out of the crowd and onto the dance floor, he saw her right away. Partner, he reminded himself harshly, only a partner, a friend. Don't think of her as anything else. But when she danced...it was too easy to forget that resolve. Her dancing was just as sexy as her fighting and there was nothing more beautiful in the 'Verse than his Kitten in a killing mood. Just thinking about it set his blood throbbing.

Vanessa felt his immediate physical reaction to the sight of Kitten and, luckily, figured it was for her. To be honest he might not have gone so instantly stiff if she hadn't been sitting in his lap and stimulating his lusts so readily. But with the way his tiny mind reading genius looked, he might just have had a problem anyway. She was so beautiful it hurt to look at her too long sometimes. He reminded himself again that there was a reason he kept hitting the bars. Damned if he was going to hurt the best thing to ever happen to him because of his animal lusts. She deserved better, deserved to be safe with her crew.

He was suddenly regretting that he'd convinced Kitten to get some leather pants. They clung to those long beautiful legs of hers like a second skin. And what they did to her ass ought to be illegal. Her blouse was some silky looking thing with a layer of gauze over a layer of opaque cloth and it fluttered around her body. It dipped into a low V between her breasts though and he glued his gaze to that spot. She'd done something to her eyes so they looked huge and even darker to his sight and her hair was wound up in a huge braided knot. Every time he saw Kitten's hair like that he wanted to find the pins and take it down from that knot. It was becoming a disturbingly recurrent fantasy of his, to see his Kitten with nothing but her hair spilling down around her body.

She had a grin on her face as she swayed through the dancers until she found a spot she liked. And then she began to move. Riddick grinned with pleasure and rested his chin on Vanessa's shoulder so he could concentrate on watching Kitten. This wasn't the classical ballet she'd showed him before. But it wasn't the run of the mill bump and grind the other women were doing. Kitten was grace personified; beauty in motion and he could watch her dance all night. Her waist twisted, her hips gyrated and her arms waved in perfect unison with the music. And he really needed to get his thoughts under control before she heard him and threw a mug of stale beer at his head.

She kicked out in a spin and saw him watching, and the smile that split her face was for him. Little woman knew he loved watching her dance almost as much as watching her fight. A frown flickered over her face and she lost her rhythm for a moment. Riddick scowled with concern; she never lost her balance or her rhythm, not unless there was something wrong.

After a moment she slid out of the crowd on the floor, shrugged off the guy that hit on her and headed towards him. Vanessa's voice was in his ear, "You haven't been able to stop watching her. Am I intruding?"

He shook his head, "Nah, just keepin' an eye on my partner is all." Riddick told her with a half-smile. He eyed her slightly stiff expression for a minute and figured he'd better take her up on her earlier invitation before he lost his chance to get laid tonight. "You wanna get out a here?"

"Yeah, I've got somethin' I'd like to show you," Vanessa wiggled against him again and Riddick grinned.

"Hell yes," He nodded, "Just let me order my woman a drink and we'll take off." He noticed that the brunette who'd been pressed up on his other side had turned her back on him and was flirting with the fellow on her other side. Her spine was rigid with irritation and Riddick shrugged mentally. He'd take both women to a room if he'd thought they were up for it but these weren't the sluts from the Necro fleet and he didn't think they'd share well.

Riddick hit the bar with his knuckles and told the bartender to get Kitten a tall glass of lemon and fizzy water. She didn't drink alcohol off the boat. And hardly ever on the boat really barring one memorable occasion when he'd given her some vodka since she'd never had it before. But she'd want something wet after that performance. Just as the barkeep set the water down Kitten reached the bar. She grinned at him, though it didn't reach her eyes and her scent was...predatory. "Hey big man," She greeted him with a half-smile.

"Hey Lil," Riddick handed her the drink. "We're gonna head out. You okay here?" It was harder to catch her scent in the crowded bar but he got a whiff of pain and fury though her face betrayed nothing of her feelings.

"I'm fine," She nodded took the glass. "Go have fun." She pushed at his shoulder and Riddick slid off the barstool.

"That an order ma'am," Riddick teased her and got a grin that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Think your date is losing interest," She nodded towards Vanessa. "Go on. I'm fine."

Riddick looked at her another moment and wondered what in the hell he wasn't catching. There was something wrong but damned if he could figure out what it was. She'd lost her balance which never happened. And now she wasn't teasing him or the girl he'd picked up. Normally she'd laugh at him at least and mention a time they should be back on the boat. She'd refer to Dog as Cap'n Hound and remind him of their departure time. But Kitten wasn't doing any of those things. So there was a hint but he couldn't see where the problem might be. Vanessa's breasts on his arm distracted him just enough that he looked at her and she did look a bit impatient. "All right, if you say so," He said doubtfully.

Letting himself be pulled out of the bar and down the street wasn't exactly a hardship. Riddick didn't kiss women on the mouth. Not strange woman anyway. He'd heard a bit too much about contact drugs that could knock even him out for a while. And whores usually didn't allow it, too intimate apparently. But he did love the taste of a woman's skin over her pulse. Hot and just a touch bitter with perfume. And then he got his hands on those breasts. They were full and warm and heavy in his hands. Actual real breasts that filled his hands were a rarity and he gave them the attention they deserved.

He'd gotten her shirt untied and a hand inside to caress that soft flesh when something stung his shoulder and he jerked. "What the fuck?" He pulled back and felt his blood starting to buzz like it had after he'd been hit with a horse tranq. But he wasn't even close to passing out. And this wasn't a tranq. Something different, it made his flesh sing with sensation; the air seemed charged as if it was caressing his skin.

"Honey, you all right?" Vanessa's voice was sweet and concerned. "Why don't you come along with me?"

Part of him wanted to, didn't mind being lead around by the metaphorical dick, or the literal one in some cases. But part of his brain was ready to fight anything that would take control of him. "Where?" He wanted to know, and mumbled a curse. It felt like his tongue had lead in it all of the sudden. It was like his body was on overdrive but his brain…wasn't.

"Just down the street," Her voice was like too sweet honey in his ears, loud over the buzzing of his blood. Riddick didn't care for this feeling one bit, even if the woman was curvy and pressed against his side. He could walk, and he could move his hands but he really didn't care for how his thoughts were muddled. No matter how drunk he got, he never lost control of his thoughts. Not even around Kitten…and damn he'd like to… No. That was wrong. He wasn't supposed to think about his pretty little Kitten. Couldn't hurt her.

The idea of hurting his pretty woman seemed to clear his thoughts a bit, though not by much. He stopped and leaned against the wall of a building with an odd sign glowing above it. He vaguely recognized it as being associated with some sort of religion. Vanessa looked frustrated and smelled irked but she only gave him a sweet smile. "Don't wanna move 'til I can clear my head," Riddick told her with a frown. "Won't be much good to you without it."

"I'm not interested in your mind honey," She told him with a wicked little grin.

Riddick shook his head and stubbornly refused to move when she tugged at his hand, "Need a minute." He pushed the words past his once again thick tongue. He had to get his mind working again, had to figure out what was going on.

Movement, out of the corner of his eye he saw fluttering sleeves and smelt raw fury like a hot wind in his face. Kitten, he realized, she'd followed him. And she was mad as hell. And so _tiān shā de_ gorgeous. He almost groaned at the sight of her, his dick going hard as his body reacted to those legs and face and, oh fuck, those beautiful sweet tits. He wanted his mouth on her skin. Wanted to lie between those long legs and slide inside her. See her with her hair down, spread over his pillow and sheets, eyes hot and dark and just for him. He'd never wanted any woman the way he wanted River Tam, his Kitten.

" _Sāo lǘ_ ," He mumbled the insult at himself. He was trying to not think of her, it was hurtful. Didn't matter how much he wanted her. Kitten was off limits, even in his thoughts. And she got closer and her skin was so pale and her hair so dark…how would his hands look on it? Riddick shook his head as his thoughts devolved. This wasn't right. Why couldn't he control himself? What was wrong with him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So I'm pretty sure you can all guess who the red head is. Especially after the hint I dropped in the last chapter. She's finding out that Riddick isn't as easy to manipulate as Mal and Monty were. Even getting her hooks into him, he's still stubborn and resistant enough to drugs that things aren't quite going her way. Something I find pretty funny actually.
> 
> Since Riddick has the habit of picking women up in bars when whores are too expensive it seemed like the perfect setup. Now what will happen when River tries to get him back to the boat do you think?
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> diǎo (cock)
> 
> pì gu (butt)
> 
> shuāng rǔ (breasts)
> 
> tiān shā de (goddamn)
> 
> Sāo lǘ (jackass)


	21. To Be Furious, Is To Be Frighted Out Of Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now he'll outstare the lightning. To be furious  
> Is to be frighted out of fear, and in that mood  
> The dove will peck the estridge; and I see still  
> A diminution in our captain's brain  
> Restores his heart.
> 
> -Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare

River knew she'd recognized the woman Riddick had on his knee. She didn't know her name, only what she'd heard others use. Mal had several names for her, _jiàn huò_ being one of the kindest. Zoe had actively despised the woman for the tricks she played and the manipulations the red head excelled at. Kaylee and Wash had disliked her simply because she'd tried to hurt Serenity, and by extension themselves. Jayne had found the entire situation amusing until they were in imminent peril. Then he'd been in favor of gutting the woman. He'd been strongly irked that Mal had left her alive both times the woman had crossed Serenity.

Of course then she'd popped back up and caused more trouble. She'd hurt Serenity again and had River her mouth at the time she would have used every means at her disposal to make her pay. At least that time they'd been able to double cross her and the take had been sweet. The last time River had seen or heard of her Inara had been thinking with great amusement of Yo-Saff-Bridge being locked in a garbage container on Bellerophon. Riddick had called her Vanessa in his thoughts. But she had nothing but mischief intended for Riddick and not the kind her big man would approve of. "Though I cannot be said to be a flattering honest man, it must not be denied but I am a plain-dealing villain." She murmured ironically.

She'd given him as much of a hint as she could that there was something wrong but he hadn't understood her. She'd lost her balance dancing. She'd foregone teasing him or the woman he was with and she hadn't referred to an imaginary captain and a time they had to be back on the ship. She'd considered using some of the old quotes she'd spoken with on Not Furya so he'd have more of an idea of his danger but 'Vanessa' was as educated as Inara in her way and just as likely to recognize a warning for what it was. It wasn't as if she could come right out and say in the middle of the bar that the woman was likely to marry him, use him for some nefarious purpose and then leave him for dead. He'd known something was wrong, but he hadn't made the connection to the woman on his knee.

She was put in mind of something Inara had said, that all men could be swayed by a pretty face or the promise of sex, how much sway a woman held was dependent upon the man and what he wanted. She'd also pointed out a typical man was always ready to believe two things about a woman, one, that she is weak, and two, that she finds him attractive. Inara's attraction to Mal had been based strongly upon the fact that Mal wasn't typical in that regard. Neither was Riddick, generally speaking. He wasn't easily swayed by beauty or sex, didn't kiss on the mouth, and very difficult to manipulate. He might be perfectly fine.

So she'd thought about it, watched them leave, all the while keeping her thoughts fixed on 'Vanessa' and finally picked up a thread of what the redhead intended. She had even less time than she'd anticipated. Apparently 'Vanessa' had progressed from the 'goodnight kiss' to hypospray injections. That had the potential to be a huge problem. Riddick might shrug off horse tranqs when his blood and adrenaline were up but when he was relaxed, when he'd had a beer, drugs were a lot more likely to work on him. There was no telling what sort of trouble that 'Vanessa' would get him into. If he ended up bound by law, let alone in marriage, coming to his rescue would be much more problematic. Best to nip this in the bud before the plot could advance that far. " _Jiàn huò_ ," She muttered and paid for her drink. So much for working out her frustrations dancing. Riddick was so going to owe her one for this.

* * *

 

They hadn't gone far, thankfully and Riddick's lessons in tracking had come in handy. Being able to hear his mind gave her a direction but no street names or building numbers. River caught up to them at the entrance of an alley a few streets past the bar. Santo had quite a few clubs and bars, casinos and oddly enough wedding chapels. Santo styled itself the Las Vegas planet. Apparently Las Vegas had been a city of Earth That Was; a city where marriages were made and dissolved in a matter of hours.

Riddick was leaning against the wall of a chapel, clearly trying to gather his thoughts and resisting the attempts of 'Vanessa' to get moving again. River nearly reeled as he saw her and felt the sheer need that filled his thoughts. Her partner did want her, badly, and the only thing that rivaled his desire for her was his need to control it. To not hurt her. It was a hard line in his thoughts that he should not be thinking of her, it wasn't allowed. She was a friend. Partner. Not a potential lover.

It was sweet that he wanted to protect her, even from himself. But she'd thought their relationship had progressed to the point where he knew if she needed something she'd ask. Part of her wanted to simply kiss him. The other part wanted to kick him in the head. Again.

She was also painfully aware that a man's thoughts while drunk rarely matched what he thought while sober. Want and lust might warm his thoughts now but in the morning he'd be back to pushing everything 'inappropriate' out of his mind. They were friends. That's all they were. She had to keep that in mind, even when she felt like spontaneous combustion was a real possibility.

Despite her less than cheerful thoughts River smirked slightly in amusement as she walked, 'Vanessa' was trying in vain to make Riddick move. She had no clue how hard it was to make Riddick do anything. The man could out stubborn mules and Malcolm Reynolds on top of mules. She was fairly certain that if Riddick planted himself in the path of a moon it's orbit would come to a grinding halt for his immobility. The curvy woman kept tugging on his arm, trying to get him to go inside the chapel he was leaning against.

"It's a good thing you have a high metabolic rate and a stout constitution Jon," River told Riddick as she neared him. "You'd be following her like a mindless pup if you didn't. I had rather be a canker in a hedge than a rose in his grace, and it better fits my blood to be disdained of all than to fashion a carriage to rob love from any. In this, though I cannot be said to be a flattering honest man, it must not be denied but I am a plain-dealing villain. I am trusted with a muzzle and enfranchised with a clog; therefore I have decreed not to sing in my cage." Now that there weren't any people around to get in the way she could throw every Don John quote at Riddick. They both associated those words, really the entire play, with Not Furya and that would put him in mind of mercs even through the drugs.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but he's mine for the night," The red-haired _jiàn huò_ told her in a too sweet voice. "If you want him you'll have to pick him up in the morning." Mischief and pleasure filled her mind at what she'd do with Riddick, and to him, before dawn. Waiting until the drug wore off and blackmailing the 'dumb gunhand' into helping her commit a few crimes before she left him for the law. River was hard pressed to keep from giggling at the idea of anyone trying to force her partner into doing anything he didn't want, married or not. When he had his wits about him no one could force Riddick to do anything. Even when he seemed to comply, he had plots within plans for escape. His mind was like a multi-layered chessboard.

"In time the savage bull doth bear the yoke," River said quietly. "What is he for a fool that betroths himself to unquietness?" Her partner's eyes narrowed in the dim light as he listened to what she was saying and River nearly smirked. Riddick was getting mad now, the Furyan nature of his anger boiling through the drugs, at least temporarily. That was good. She could deal with Saffron but she couldn't carry him home. The dose he'd been given should have made him completely pliable. It certainly would have turned Jayne or Mal into putty in the woman's hands. For good measure she added, "For what is wedlock forced but a hell, an age of discord and continual strife? Whereas the contrary bringeth bliss, and is a pattern of celestial peace." She folded her arms and regarded him thoughtfully, "Never knew my partner wished to be wed."

"I don't," His voice was much more clear when he spoke than his mumbling of before. He narrowed his eyes on the red head and folded his arms, with a furious growl. "What the hell'd ya dose me with?"

"Oh _jiàn guǐ_ ," The red head shook her head. "I should have known this would go south the minute you started watching her."

River got closer and looked at Riddick, "How clear headed are you feeling?"

"Fine so long's I'm pissed off," He snarled. "Which ain't hard with what I'm hearin'."

"Good," River smiled coldly at the woman between herself and Riddick. "Santo has laws against marrying someone while they're drugged or drunk, unless both parties are intoxicated."

Riddick grinned, "You mean all I gotta do is drag her in there an' tell 'em what she did? And she'll get arrested?"

River nodded with a smile as the bitch began to back up. Riddick's hand darted out quick as a wink and grabbed her by the hair even as River closed the distance between them. "And the penalty is indentured servitude for twenty years, enforced with a tracking chip at the base of her skull. Hard to remove without surgical aid. Considering she somehow escaped the lawmen the last time she was backed into a corner Santo's methods of enforcement do not seem unduly warranted."

"Good," Riddick was growling now. "Let's go. You really got no idea what you stepped in _jiàn huò_. Nobody puts a collar on me." He looked over his shoulder at River and somehow dredged up his favorite John quote from the depths of his memory, "If I had my mouth, I would bite; if I had my liberty, I would do my liking. In the meantime, let me be that I am, and seek not to alter me." He dragged his date into the building against which he'd been leaning. River followed him with a wicked smile. He'd need a little back up to corroborate his story.

* * *

 

She was lucky that he stayed mad and fairly clearheaded until they were nearly at the ship. He swayed when they were fifty yards away and came to a halt. "Rick?" She took his big hand in both of hers, "You all right?"

"Brain's fuzzy again Kitten," He looked at her, shaking his head as if that would clear his thoughts. "Sorry."

River tilted her head as remorse and lust began to fill his brain and enlightenment dawned. He was apologizing because the drug didn't let him control his thoughts and Riddick was worried he would scare her. He'd run out of energy to keep his anger going and the drug was taking over again. "It's all right _bàng jiār_ ," She murmured gently. "Your thoughts don't bother me anymore."

She tugged on his hand and his mind immediately flew to how soft her fingers were on his skin, how good it felt to have her touch him. He wanted more of her touch, more of her, but he knew he shouldn't. "Still," He was mumbling as she guided him towards their ship, "Ain't right to be pushin' 'em at you. Deserve better'n my thinkin' on you."

River sighed slightly and wondered if he'd ever get past that line of reasoning. It would be so much easier to tell if he actually liked her if he'd at least consider her as a potential lover. As it was, denial filled his thoughts as much as lust. It was very difficult for her to figure out what he wanted. Desire was one thing; he'd desired her since he first saw her. But was he denying himself because he thought she was still damaged? Or because he didn't want to complicate their relationship? Or for some other reason entirely? Was she just a warm female body to him or was she someone important? Was Shirah right? "You can't help it," She reminded him. "They're just like dreams, not something you can control."

"Yeah," Riddick nodded and let himself be escorted to their ship. He was thinking of her skin again, of when he'd watched her bathe on Not Furya, and how much he wanted to see all of her. Without bruises. His hunger to see her skin was surprising actually. He wasn't even progressing to sex in his thoughts, just seeing her, taking the pins out of her hair and seeing her body in nothing but her hair.

She keyed in the entry code and was distracted by his groan. Riddick was actually leaning against the ship and bending forward to sniff at her hair. A glance at his groin revealed why he was groaning, and a glimpse of his thoughts showed her why. She flushed and felt heat streak through her in reaction to his thoughts. Now he'd definitely progressed to sexual thoughts. Riddick was thinking of kneeling in front of her and kissing every bit of her skin. Putting his hands on her ass and holding her body to his mouth. Wanting to sink into her and see the contrast of his _diǎo_ against her _yīn xué_. River almost moaned at the thought and managed to finalize the entry code.

"Kitten?" Riddick was inhaling deeply and she almost cursed his superior sense of smell. He knew she was aroused now. He was breathing her in as if her scent was something delicious. "River?" His use of her name was cautious, as if he wasn't certain he had permission and she offered him a tentative smile. If she was lucky he wouldn't remember much of this night, details like her response to his thoughts included. She'd die of humiliation if he ever made the connection between her scent now and the times she'd run and hidden in the vents after seeing him come out of the shower.

"Let's get inside the ship and you up to your room," She told him softly. "Need to get you lying down before the drug wears off. Doped you for obedience and mobility, but when it wears off... System resets itself with unconsciousness."

His confused look told her that her explanation hadn't made it all the way from his ears to his brain but he followed her inside the ship. It was a measure of his self-control that he didn't let his hands wander anywhere over her body though Riddick's thoughts indicated he wanted to touch her very badly. He was supremely conscious of how delicate and pale she was and how dark and big his body was compared to hers. The contrast and need to touch filled his thoughts and she saw his hands clench into fists with the need to stay in control of his actions.

She'd finally gotten him up the stairs, through the common area and to his room when he spoke again, "Kitten?"

"Yes Riddick?" River managed to get him to sit on the bed and helped him unlace his boots. When he'd toed them off she regarded him thoughtfully. She knew he'd be uncomfortable if he slept in his clothes but she wasn't sure she could undress him without his help.

"Ya mad at me still?" He wanted to know. His voice was tired, the drugs muddling him still but he was truly worried she was angry with him about something. "Know somethin's wrong. Made you mad. Dunno what. You ain't been... the same. Been avoidin' me."

River knew what he meant, too well. She hadn't been able to relax, hadn't been able to go back to her little attraction to him. When she'd Seen Riddick with Dahl the hurt had been so intense, she'd known it came from emotions rather than physical interest. Her heart was involved or Riddick being with Dahl wouldn't have felt as if she was being stabbed in that stubborn and finicky organ. She'd avoided him a bit, refused to spar with him, and contemplated getting a whore. Nothing she'd done had changed what she felt.

"I'm not mad at you _bàng jiār_ ," She sat next to him. "Take off your shirt so you don't go to sleep in it." She tapped his shoulder. "I was upset about something."

Riddick took off his shirt and began to unbutton his pants, shoving them down his hips and thankfully revealing a pair of shorts. She took a moment to thank Book's indifferent God that her partner was wearing shorts. He hadn't always. There were still times he didn't. "What about? What'd I do Kitten? Gotta fix it. Don' like how it's been last few months."

Had it really only been three months or so, since he'd been with Dahl, River wondered? Time had passed quickly as she tried to deny, avoid or deal with the pain of realizing she cared about him and he...well he didn't even want to lust after her. And then the whole mess with Niska had happened and she'd tried to simply not think about her emotions, tried to avoid them and him. But nothing worked. And she was still hopeless, no thanks to Shirah. "It's nothing you did Riddick," She lied. Hopefully he would be too muddled to call her on it. "It's my own problem."

"Don' like it when you lie to me Kitten," Riddick snarled at her and she sighed wearily. His hands were far too quick, even doped, as he grabbed her upper arms, hauling her up tight against his body. Hot skin, hard muscles and his fully aroused _jī ba_ pressed against her. Lust, need, worry and anger, concern for her were all boiling into his mind, clearing the effect of the drug for a moment.

"Please Riddick," River lifted her hand and cupped his jaw. "Stop asking me, please." She was vividly aware that he was still aroused, his _diǎo_ hard and rubbing between their bodies, pushing against her _wài yīn_. He felt so good and right, pulling her body against his, it was all she could do to not grind against him. She ached desperately to feel him, pushing against her, touching her. He was beautiful and ready and she was grateful he'd left her own clothing on. And even more grateful she'd convinced him nine months ago that undergarments were something he needed.

He sighed and leaned back against the mattress, bringing her with him and maneuvering their bodies until he was sprawled on his back and she was cuddled against his side in his iron grip. "Won' ask now," He muttered, "Long's you stay. Don' leave." As an afterthought he added, "Please." It was the please that made her stay. Riddick never said please, not unless he really meant it.

River studied him as the drug took over again, his brain lapsing into thoughts of her skin, her body, even as he tried to restrain his lusts. He wasn't trying to undress her, wasn't even pulling the pins out of her hair even though he wanted to. But he truly needed her to stay with him for whatever reason. River sat up, even as he growled his denial of her going anywhere and tried to pull her back down, and carefully she began to pull the pins out of her hair.

Lust flooded through him as her braids tumbled down and his hands found the ends and began to unravel the plaits. His thoughts filled with the need to see her in nothing but her hair, his wishes colored by the memories of her body, the few times he'd seen it, on Not Furya and by accident around the boat. By the time he was done undoing her braids her hair was spilling down to her hips. Big hands drew her down against him and River put her hairpins on his shelf before Riddick pulled her closer and closed his eyes.

River sighed, she'd have to get up in the morning to answer any waves from the authorities but right now Riddick was fascinated with her hair. His hands were running through it and he had pulled the length of it over her shoulder so it spilled across his bare chest. Now and then he'd wind a finger around a long lock and lift it to his nose to inhale the scent of her. His tired thoughts were of silk and sweetness and the girl he needed finally in his arms and in his bed.

* * *

 

Riddick woke up with the horrific sense that something was badly wrong. He hadn't felt panic like this in a long time, not since… His eyes narrowed as he looked around. He'd gone to sleep with a girl in his arms and she wasn't with him anymore. Just like the last time she'd fallen asleep with him. He was getting really gorram tired of her slipping away before he woke up. It was very close to his definition of hell to have the scent of her in his nose, on his skin and she was not in his arms.

He'd had such screwed up dreams…Riddick dug the heels of his hands against his eyes and took a deep breath. The room still smelled like Kitten, her hair, a touch of jasmine in her shampoo, no one but him would notice it was so faint. And something else, her scent was thick with sorrow, pain, and something else he'd rarely smelt… she'd been aroused. The scent of her was familiar… stronger but he was certain this wasn't the first time he'd come across that scent besides the times she'd reacted to his dreams or thoughts. He hadn't recognized it at first, but the animal in him had known, seen the dilation of her pupils and heard the subtle increase of her heartbeat and he'd known.

He lay back on the bed and groaned. That was the best scent in the _tiān shā de_ 'verse and she wasn't with him. It was faint though, faint and faded, as if she'd left a while ago. He thought back to the night before and frowned. He'd been doped by that bitch, and Kitten had come to get him. It had been hard to control his thoughts and he'd been trying to not think of…

Shit.

He shook his head and looked at Dog who was lying on his corner of the bed with a look that said he was being patient but Riddick was an idiot. "Yeah I know," He muttered to the animal. Kitten hadn't been getting wet for him. She was a Reader and he'd been so damn lustful for her that it was a wonder he hadn't tumbled her right onto the bed and just taken her. Of course his mood would affect hers. She'd told him one time about coming across the married couple on her old crew making out on the bridge and how she'd nearly been swept into the ocean by the tidal wave of their feelings.

No wonder she'd slipped away. She must have been uncomfortable as hell. But she'd stayed at least until he'd fallen asleep. And she'd… Riddick looked over at his shelf full of shivs and books. Proof of her actions were sitting right there. Hairpins, in a tidy pile, proved that she'd taken her hair down for him. He remembered her letting him stroke his hands through it. He'd held her close to his body and fallen asleep with her hair flowing over his skin. He hadn't felt that peaceful or content in a long damn time.

Dog whined and Riddick remembered his dreams with a curse. Shirah was getting worse. If the nagging bitch couldn't give him a break he was going to seriously consider a lobotomy. She was after him about Furya. And she was pissed as hell about Kitten. Kept saying the girl was no good for him. She wasn't Furyan. She wasn't right. Wasn't good enough for him.

Shirah had it fucked up though. There was no way his little Kitten wasn't good enough. He'd yet to meet anyone, Dahl, Eve, Carolyn, any female who could keep up with him. Even Kyra hadn't been able to keep pace with him. But River Tam, his Kitten, Seer, Reader, genius assassin and dancer…she could leave him in the dust if she chose. And she never chose. She always stayed. She could have let that bitch take him last night but she'd come after him.

Shirah could go fuck herself if she thought she'd convince him to go to Furya by telling him his gorgeous woman wasn't good enough for him. He knew damn well who was unworthy and in no way was it his partner. He pushed himself up and off the bed and noticed that Kitten had tidied up for him, and put away his clothing; even his boots were in the corner where they belonged.

Time to face the day. And time to find out exactly what he'd done to piss of his partner. She'd lied last night. He remembered that much, she'd said she wasn't pissed about anything he'd done and it had been a lie. So either she didn't think she had the right to be mad, or she thought it was something he couldn't or wouldn't change. He was going to find out which it was. After he apologized for his stupidity of the night before.

He wanted things back to _tiān shā de_ normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I didn't want to forget over the weekend so I posted a day early. Hope you don't mind. Soo… Was that how all of you saw this playing out? I figured no matter what things wouldn't go the way Yo-Saff-Bridge wanted. I really debated letting her on the boat but in the end, once River remembered who the woman was and what she'd done, there was no way the redhead would get anywhere near their ship. There's been a suggestion about Yo-Saff-Bridg-Van running into Mal & Co at some point and comparing notes about their run ins with Riddick. Something I'm keeping in mind for a one shot.
> 
> Sooner or later these two will actually have to talk about what's going on between the two of them. If they can bring themselves to risk the consequences. That should be interesting.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> jiàn huò (bitch)
> 
> jiàn guǐ (curse it! / to hell with it!)
> 
> bàng jiār (lover / partner)
> 
> diǎo (cock)
> 
> yīn xué (underground cave / vagina / female genitalia (in pornography))
> 
> jī ba (dick)
> 
> wài yīn (vulva)
> 
> tiān shā de (goddamn)
> 
> Quote Sources:
> 
> Though I cannot be said to be a flattering honest man, it must not be denied but I am a plain-dealing villain – Much Ado About Nothing – William Shakespeare
> 
> I had rather be a canker in a hedge than a rose in his grace, and it better fits my blood to be disdained of all than to fashion a carriage to rob love from any. In this, though I cannot be said to be a flattering honest man, it must not be denied but I am a plain-dealing villain. I am trusted with a muzzle and enfranchised with a clog; therefore I have decreed not to sing in my cage. - Much Ado About Nothing – William Shakespeare
> 
> In time the savage bull doth bear the yoke - Much Ado About Nothing – William Shakespeare
> 
> What is he for a fool that betroths himself to unquietness? - Much Ado About Nothing – William Shakespeare
> 
> For what is wedlock forced but a hell, an age of discord and continual strife? Whereas the contrary bringeth bliss, and is a pattern of celestial peace. – Henry VI – William Shakespeare
> 
> If I had my mouth, I would bite; if I had my liberty, I would do my liking. In the meantime, let me be that I am, and seek not to alter me. - Much Ado About Nothing – William Shakespeare


	22. Therefore Is Winged Cupid Painted Blind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love can transpose to form and dignity.  
> Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind.  
> And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
> 
> -A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare

River frowned down at the cortex screen. It wasn't easy to formulate a plan of action to deal with her unrequited lust for Riddick. Well, unrequited in that she was willing to do something about her desire and he was definitely not interested in doing anything about his. Unless you counted stuffing lustful thoughts of her out of his mind as a course of action. She didn’t particularly.

She'd brought up the Companion's data base, looking at the faces and names of male Companions, their contracts and availability, but she couldn't concentrate on them. Apart from the very idea of a Companion being impractical… They all looked...soft. None of them looked as if they could keep up with her. Most of them reminded her of Simon in some way. They were all beautiful but...none of them attracted her.

River stared at the screen without seeing it. She could almost feel Riddick's warm skin under her fingertips, the strength of his muscles under her palms. When he'd grabbed her the night before she'd hoped he'd intended to kiss her. He hadn't but his eyes, those gorgeous silver eyes had stared into hers. They had been mesmerizing. She'd barely had the presence of mind to evade his questions. If he had kissed her she wasn’t sure she would have had the presence of mind to stop him, or if she’d have wanted to do so.

And then... She shuddered as she remembered. That body, pressed up against her, smooth skin, hard muscles bulging as his arms had clutched her to him tightly. He'd held her as if he never intended to let go. It had felt so good. Riddick's mind had been full of visions of her, of how she'd look with her hair down. When she'd taken out her hairpins his mind had been on fire with thoughts of her. She couldn't describe how it had felt to have him look at her like that now that she was healthy enough mentally to appreciate it. As if she was beautiful. His hands had stroked through her hair, reveling in how it felt against his bare chest, in his hands. He'd fallen asleep like that. Contentment had practically radiated from him.

She'd waited, waited until he was deep in dreams and his hands loose on her body, before she'd slipped out of his arms and his bed. At least she'd still been fully dressed. She'd tidied up his clothing, put his boots where he wouldn't trip on them in the morning and escaped to sleep in her own quarters.

Her dreams hadn't been peaceful. When they'd begun she'd been in Riddick's arms again, his huge body warm and gentle, cradling her against him. His hands had been touching her in all the ways she'd longed for, and when he'd positioned himself between her thighs she hadn't been afraid. She'd welcomed his body over hers. Big, strong and powerful. It had felt perfect.

And then a voice, female and strident, not Riddick's coffee and chocolate tones. The mystical voice of Shirah, reminding her that she was not Furyan. The blond women with feathers in her hair had been scornful, ' _You might have his blood in your veins. But you're no Furyan._ ' Shirah had sneered, ' _This is a wasted effort. He'll never truly want you. He'll never love you. It doesn't matter how much you want him. You'll never be good enough for him. Find a man of your own race to breed with. Riddick will never be yours._ '

River had woken shortly after that aching with need, frustrated beyond belief and ready to kill Shirah. For all that the woman was incorporeal she was the most irritating person River had ever met and that included the Rample twins, the Operative, Adlai Niska and Malcolm Reynolds.

So now she was once again seriously considering a Companion, or at least trying to consider one. She couldn't afford it unless she managed to husk a sizeable amount of money from someone's coffers. And she'd never be able to talk Riddick into a trip to Sihnon. There were a few who weren't on Sihnon but they were in high demand. She'd never be able to afford one. Money aside, she remembered how selective Inara had been about her clients. Male Companions could afford to be twice as choosey. But she could still stare at pictures on the cortex and pretend she might have a chance at attracting a Companion's interest. Formulate plans to acquire enough money to contract with one. If she could keep her mind on any of the overly pretty men on the screen. They were all wiry, or slender, elegant looking men. Riddick's gorgeous features, deadly skills and big, muscular, sex on the hoof body kept intruding.

Then she had real trouble. She'd started to think of Riddick, his body pressed against hers last night, his big hands on her, and his mercurial eyes staring at her face. All that strength holding her in place and his intent gaze concentrated upon her. She'd been able to feel how aroused he was pressing between her thighs. Even now the remembered sensation sent her body throbbing. She'd been so absorbed in thoughts of him, of how he'd made her feel, of what she wanted, that the actual Riddick had managed to get all the way to the Bridge door before she'd noticed.

The door opened and River wished she could disappear. How in the gorram hell was she going to explain this to him?

* * *

 

Riddick had been prepared for a lot of things when he'd gone to talk with Kitten. He'd figured she'd be irritated with him about his behavior the night before. He'd thought she might want an apology, which he did owe her, for said behavior. And he'd had an inkling she'd try to avoid answering his questions about her lie. He had not expected to open the sliding door to the bridge and have the perfect scent of her arousal hit his nose like a perfume.

He hadn't figured he'd see a screen full of headshots, handsome men with exotic names, a Companion's registrar, on the cortex in front of her.

Riddick took a deep breath, inhaled the heady scent of Kitten's body again and struggled to keep hold of his temper. Part of him was raging that she was too good for whores. Another part was snarling that if she wanted sex he'd give her sex. He'd give her the ride of her life if she'd give him a fucking chance. And finally, the part that won out over the other two, wanted to know what the hell she was thinking. The question came out in a near roar, "What in the sweet fuck is this?"

She switched off the cortex and turned furious dark eyes on him, "She's only doing what Shirah told her to do." His sweet girl nearly spat the words at him. The content was as much a surprise as the tone.

"What in the hell does that mean?" Riddick wanted to grab her and shake her until he got some answers and the curl of her lip let him know just what she thought of that notion.

She turned away from him and began to shut the console down except for the incoming wave alert. Her back was stiff with rage as she stood and stalked past him towards the galley. Riddick followed her and shook his head at Dog who was looking at the two of them with interest. "You gonna answer me?" He asked her angrily as she began to pull out Dog's food. "Or you just gonna stop talkin'?"

Her voice was like water sizzling on hot stone as she dished out Dog's food, "Shirah. The blonde _jiàn huò_ in the dreams. She keeps telling me that I'm not Furyan. I'm not meant for you. I should find a man of my own." Her movements were as clipped and angry as her speech and Dog approached cautiously as she put his food down on the floor. "She tells me constantly that I'm not good enough for you. That I should stay away. _'It doesn't matter how much you want him. You'll never be good enough for him’_." Riddick shook his head. He heard the words, they were plain English, but they weren't making sense. Then she added the capper, "I know too well that you aren't interested in me as a lover Riddick. That's been made clear as crystal."

Riddick scrubbed a hand over his face. She still had the scent of feminine need clinging to her body. Kitten's anger, arousal, and pain were twisting in his nose until he half wished he didn't have a sense of smell. Still, at this point she was being nothing but truthful with him. He was just painfully confused. When had his little mind reading genius started dreaming about Shirah? He sat at the table and pushed a chair adjacent to his out with his foot, voicing just that question. "Kitten? When'd the dreams with that crazy bitch start?"

She was irritated with him still; it was obvious in her body language even if he hadn't had her scent to clue him in. The slender woman sitting stiffly in her chair glared at him as she answered, "After Niska's men shot us both. Bullet in your shoulder but you carried me out and took care of me. Blood from your wound, dripped into mine." She sighed and the anger seemed to just leak out of her, "I started to dream of Shirah then, I thought it was part of the delirium at first, a bad reaction to your blood."

"And does she bug you about Furya too," Riddick asked. It was bad enough that Shirah haunted his dreams. She was driving him crazy with her nagging about Furya and the need to find his home planet. But now she was messing with Kitten. As if this beautiful woman didn't have enough on her plate with him around, pain in the ass that he was.

"No," She shook her head. "Not since the first few nights. She didn't know what I was at first. Called me a half breed. Then she figured out I wasn't a true Furyan. She was only feeling your blood inside me." Riddick listened as she explained the last two and a half months’ worth of dreams. With each word he'd almost felt her growing more and more upset. The words were a torrent, pouring out of her. He wanted to strangle Shirah at the strength of the pain he smelled in Kitten's scent. The bitch had been tormenting his genius deadly woman with her acid tongue whenever she tried to sleep.

"The dreams are getting worse and worse. She doesn't like that I'm here with you. She hates that I'm your crew, that I'm your partner." Dark eyes were blazing up at him as she spoke, "My dreams are bad enough. I don't need her telling me what I already know. I don't need a woman I've never even met telling me what a terrible person I am for staying with you. How awful I am for distracting you from Furya. Last night was the worst yet. She told me ' _He’ll never want you. He’ll never care about you. It doesn't matter how much you want him. You'll never be good enough for him. Give up and find one of your own kind to breed with_ '." Her words dripped with the same venomous tone Shirah was capable of inflicting.

Riddick blinked. He couldn't have heard that right. ' _It doesn't matter how much you want him... Breed with…_ ' Those words almost echoed in his mind and he looked at her to be sure she'd said them. "Kitten..." He began questioningly and then mortification almost painful it was so intense boiled off her like steam from a kettle as she realized what she’d inadvertently confessed. Riddick had never seen her clumsy but she stood so quickly she knocked her chair over as she backed away from the table. Her intent to run couldn't have been more clear than if she'd spoken it into his mind. "No," He growled, stood at the same time she did and grabbed for her.

She might have let him catch her. The woman was fast as a cat and sneaky as a snake with it. Any other time he’d have believed she was allowing him to grab her, but now? No, now she’d been caught off guard, just enough for him to get an edge over her. He might be big but he was damn quick, as more than one merc had learned to their detriment. He had an added incentive to get hold of his little Kitten because he had the feeling that if she got to run she wouldn’t come back out again. He’d never get answers, lose any chance he might ever have with her. So he’d hang onto her through whatever she dished out until he got those answers.

His hand closed around her upper arm and he dragged her across the table into his lap, regardless of her kicking and the fist that rocketed into his jaw. "No, _tā mā de niǎo_ ," Riddick growled into her ear. One thing at a time he told himself. First deal with the vegetables, the lie she told last night. Then you can get to the desert, her maybe wanting you. Vegetables first. "I'm gonna hear the truth now Kitten. You lied to me last night," He reminded her. "Told me to stop askin' and I did. But I'm askin' now. Told you I don' like how it's been these last few months. Now you're gonna tell me what I fuckin’ did that hurt you. Why're you mad at me? An' why didn't you tell me?"

"Some things are...personal. She doesn't owe him this," Her voice was choked with pain and he almost loosened his grip on her. But she'd been avoiding him these last few months, and he'd hated it. He wasn't going to give in until he understood why. Maybe it was selfish but he couldn’t take the not knowing what he’d done wrong. He had to know. Had to fix it.

"Why?" He held her closer, the feel of her was intoxicating. "What did I do? Tell me what I fuckin' did Kitten. Tell me the truth. I gotta know. How'm I gonna fix it if you don't tell me? River? Just tell me what I did." He was perilously close to shouting at her. Riddick pressed his face to the side of her neck, breathing in her scent and trying to calm the temper that was taking hold of him. She was important. What if she was so unhappy she left?

"He went balls deep into Dahl," Her voice was quiet but no less pained for its lack of volume. He almost loosened his grasp in sheer surprise but when she squirmed to get away, he banded his arms around her tightly.

"I been with whores an' I've picked up even more women in bars," Riddick said slowly as he absorbed what she'd said. "But Dahl bothers you?"

"Dahl is real," She told him softly. Her body was slowly relaxing into his as if she was giving up the fight but Riddick kept his arms tight around her just in case it was a ruse. "You admired her before. Lusted for her. Saw her naked. Dahl is someone who could keep up with you."

"She's a _tiān shā de_ merc," Riddick snorted his derision. "I haven't thought of her since," He took another breath of Kitten's skin. "What did Shirah mean when she said you wanted me?"

She stiffened again and Riddick tightened his arms in case she tried to get away, but she smelt sorrowful and resigned as she answered him. "Riddick doesn't have to worry. It's all right," Kitten sounded almost tired. "You don't see me like that. Only as your partner. You work hard to keep seeing me that way." He could smell the tears that were in her eyes, "I've heard you pushing those thoughts away. I won't try to change your mind." Her tears spilled over and began to trickle down her cheeks, raw grief in his nose, her pain stinging like red pepper flakes,"I can control myself just as well as you can. Attraction doesn't mean that action must be taken. I'm an adult. I can just...put it out of my mind. Just like you have."

"Fuck that noise," Riddick snarled and turned her around so he could see her face. "You've wanted me? You want me in your bed? For more than a quick fuck?" He stared into her eyes and took deep breaths of her scent. She smelt humiliated. But underneath that was the spicy scent of hope and need. "Tell me _tā mā de niǎo_!"

"Yes," Kitten nearly sobbed but her face blazed defiance. "Want you to stop hiding your thoughts. Want to hear what you want from me. I'm not broken. I'm not afraid. I want you. I want you in my bed. I want you to touch me. And I don't want you to be afraid I'll hear your thoughts and leave you."

Riddick drew a full breath for the first time in what felt like months and slid a hand up to cup her damp cheek, "Sorry." He offered. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion and he elaborated, "For bein' stupid." His thumb stroked over the tracks of her tears and he drew her closer.

"Not entirely his fault. First months together she threw things at his head for such thoughts," Kitten reminded him gently. “Haven’t done so, not since his thoughts stopped bothering her, but didn’t know how to say she wanted him. Not when he has worked so hard to not think of her and not want her.” She tilted her head and rubbed her cheek against his palm. Her eyelids drooped sensuously as she forced his hand to caress her face. "What...happens now?" She sounded hopeful and uncertain both and for once Riddick knew exactly how she felt.

"I got an idea," Riddick stood and kept her body against his, carrying her over to the L shaped couch in the corner. He ignored Dog's noise of curiosity and sat with Kitten still in his lap. "I wanna take your hair outa that knot," He told her plainly.

She smiled at him and nodded, "Heard your thoughts last night." Her dark eyes were warm and melting as his fingers found her hair pins and began to tease them out of her chignon. "Wants to see me in nothing but my hair."

"Yeah," Riddick nodded. "I want that." He looked at her, "Make no mistake. I wanna go balls deep in you Kitten." A shiver ran over her skin at his words and he pressed his lips to her neck, "You're just gonna hafta tell me if I do somethin' wrong. I'll know if you're scared. But I ain't gonna know exactly why."

"I want you," Kitten lifted her hand to his face tentatively. It was as if she thought she wasn't allowed to touch and he grabbed her hand and held it to his jaw. She smiled in pleasure and her fingers began to trace the lines of his face. "I don't know what will happen when I...when we..." She sighed. "Maybe you were right to...not think of me."

"You takin' what you said back?" Riddick wanted to know as he continued to undo her hair. If nothing else he was gonna see her hair down. "'Cause if you still want me I guess we're gonna have plenty a time to figure out what'll set you off. I don't scare easy Kitten. And it ain't like I don't know what they did. Somethin’ frightens you, I back off, we figure out how to avoid that, an' we try again. _Dǒng ma_?"

" _Dǒng de_ ," She whispered back.

* * *

 

"Good," Riddick's eyes gleamed up at her as one hand steadily worked at unraveling her hair. She could feel that he was extremely intent upon seeing it down. As if he was convinced she'd change her mind and tell him to stop.

River put her hands on the hem of her shirt and pulled it out of her pants. The cargos were snug around her waist so fabric wouldn't chafe under her gunbelt and she deliberately wore her shirts just as tight for the same reason. Riddick's eyes were on her face but she felt his body tense under hers as she began to unbutton the front of her shirt.

When it was open and obvious that she was wearing a bra under it Riddick's hands left her hair to push the shirt off her shoulders. " _Wǒ cào_ ," He cursed softly as he dropped the shirt to the floor.

Dog came over and rolled at their feet, rubbing his head on River's shirt and she giggled at the animal. "Riddick must remove his shirt as well," She insisted and began to tug at the fabric.

"Yeah," He was busy pressing kisses to her shoulders while his hands undid her braids. She shivered and sighed at the sensation of his mouth on her skin, so warm, he felt perfect. His mind was full of how much he wanted her, blazing with the need to touch every inch of her skin. She couldn't help laughing as he refused to let go of her.

"Rick… Riddick," River poked him in the chest to make him pay attention. "Shirt off. Now." His grin sent heat curling through her belly but he let go of her for the ten seconds it took him to pull off his shirt and throw it down near hers.

"C'mere," He muttered and tugged her closer to his body. Warm lips stroked over her throat as his hand unwound the last of her braids. Her hair fell down her back, completely loose and brushing over her skin. River felt the groan that vibrated through his chest at the sight. The hand on her waist slid up her back and found the hooks of her bra, flicking them open. She caught her breath as the cool air hit her body, Riddick's hands drawing the fabric away from her, down her arms and onto the floor.

River shivered as Riddick stared at her. Her body had reacted to his gaze, nipples painfully tight, breasts swollen and aching. The big man just stared and didn't say or do anything. She drew her hands away from his shoulders and began to cross her arms over her chest, trying to hide herself from his gaze. "Don't," He shook his head and caught both her hands in his. " _Tiān shā de_ ," His dark voice was a shocked mutter. "Fuck me you're beautiful."

"Riddick," Her voice was shaking as he held her wrists easily in his hands. "Would you do something for me please?" His free hand was sliding through her hair and up and down her back, hot and delicious on her spine.

"Yeah Kitten," He was still staring at her, his mind roiling with desire and awe.

"Could you...kiss me, please?" River told herself she wasn't begging. But she knew he didn't kiss on the mouth, she didn't know if he ever had. But she'd never been kissed...she'd been raped but she'd never been kissed.

"What?" He jerked his gaze off her breasts and up to her face in confusion. Absently he let go of her wrists and she set her hands back on his wide shoulders, loving how his skin felt beneath her hands.

Cautiously she bent down and pressed her lips to his cheek. His skin was slightly rough, morning whiskers against her lips. Her breasts rubbed against his chest and she moaned at the sensation of hot skin touching her tight and swollen flesh. "Riddick... please," She slid closer to his body, felt his heart rate triple its beat as she rubbed her mouth over his pulse.

When he pulled her back so he could look at her River couldn't meet his gaze. Maybe he didn't like kissing. For all she knew she wouldn't like it either. Considered clinically it didn’t seem appealing, but anecdotal evidence indicated it was greatly enjoyable. "Kitten," He put his fingers under her chin and gently forced her gaze up to meet his. "You all right? With everything so far?"

"Is he all right?" River frowned. She felt wonderful; her entire body was swimming in sensations. She'd thought, from what she'd Read in his mind, that he was enjoying this too. Was she not going fast enough? Riddick was used to women who tore off their clothes and his. By this time he was used to already being inside a woman.

"I'm fine woman," Riddick rolled his eyes at her. "That ain't the question. 'M I scarin' you?"

"No," She shook her head. "I want... I want to..." She looked down. "I want to kiss you. Want you to kiss me. But you don't...with... well anyone." River shrugged, her skin was prickling with cold now that Riddick wasn't kissing her skin and she felt too aware of how exposed she was. "And I never have so I don't...I don't really know how...apart from observations."

"You've never been..." His expression changed, tilted wickedly as he looked up at her and carefully drew her down to him. Their upper bodies pressed together and he groaned while her breath caught in new shock at the feeling. And then his lips, they'd been so hot and gentle on her skin, touched to her own, rubbed over her mouth until she shuddered and gasped. His groan vibrated through his chest into hers and River shivered against his body.

She clutched at his shoulders, feeling the world tilt under her as Riddick's mouth slanted across hers and began to nibble and devour her lips. She moaned as his tongue invaded her, tasted and explored until she was gasping into his mouth. River squirmed to get closer to him, his hand splayed across her back, tangled into her hair as Riddick kissed her.

He'd positioned her body over his, her legs straddling his thighs, and now his hand on her back pressed her even closer to his body. She could feel his _diǎo_ hard and pressing between her thighs, rubbing against her mound. He groaned as she rocked her hips against his, fire sparking through her at the feeling of his body ready and wanting hers.

Heat, tingling and delicious pressure, a callused palm over her breast, thumb caressing her nipple and River nearly shrieked into Riddick's mouth. He pulled away gently, inhaled deeply for a moment and was satisfied that he hadn't frightened her because he pulled her back down to his mouth and continued. His thoughts were full of how long he'd wanted to taste her skin and how wonderful the scent of desire was in his nose when it was her body melting for his.

River shuddered and arched her back, her breast pressing more fully into Riddick's palm and mewled into his mouth. How could his hands feel so good? She wondered though the haze of pleasure in her mind if her hands felt as good to him. Slowly she glided her palms down to his chest and tried to imitate his own actions, using her fingers to tug on his flat nipples. The groan that rose in his throat echoed the flare of pleasure she felt from his mind.

She wasn't prepared for Riddick tear his mouth from her lips with a gasp and drag her body up his so her breasts were level with his mouth. His hand slid from her breast down to her ass, squeezing and rubbing her _pì gu_. "Oohhhh... Riddick..." Her moan turned into a cry as his lips surrounded the tight tip of her breast. Long slow liquid pulls on her flesh sent blood rushing through her body. Every tug of his mouth echoed between her thighs, until she felt as if she was throbbing with need. She could only cling to him, her hands back on his shoulders and neck, clutching his head to her body in desperation.

His mouth was wicked, unceasing as he moved from one breast to the other, driving her mad with sensation until she arched her back again needing more. He was like fire and he was filling her body with it until she was sure she'd either burn up or explode with the excess of pleasure. "Oh, oh, Riddick, God, please, Riddick," River wasn't sure what she was begging for but she knew she needed him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So… They've finally got it out in the open. Is this how you all saw the conversation going? Being Riddick and River it was never going to progress conventionally. I actually wrote this a couple years ago after I finished Chains. It and about eight or nine other chapters were all I had of the sequel. It took me some time but I finally got going and figured out what I wanted to happen. I hope you're all enjoying it. Next couple of chapters are probably going to be lemony, just as a warning.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> jiàn huò (bitch)
> 
> tā mā de niǎo (goddamn it)
> 
> tiān shā de(goddamn)
> 
> Dǒng ma? (Understand? Got it?)
> 
> Dǒng de (Understood)
> 
> Wǒ cào (holy fuck)
> 
> diǎo (cock)
> 
> pì gu (butt)


	23. Still Climbing Trees In The Hesperides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love's tongue proves dainty Bacchus gross in taste.  
> For valor, is not Love a Hercules,  
> Still climbing trees in the Hesperides?  
> Subtle as Sphinx; as sweet and musical  
> As bright Apollo's lute, strung with his hair.  
> And when Love speaks, the voice of all the gods  
> Make heaven drowsy with the harmony.
> 
> \- Love's Labor's Lost, William Shakespeare

She was perfect. He'd thought he might get to hold her. Might be able to take her hair down. But when Kitten had begun unbuttoning her shirt... Well he'd known she was perfect before. Now? Now he was just praying to any deity that would listen that she wouldn't tell him to stop. Her breasts were so sweet, just the beautiful scent of her skin, the feel of her in his mouth and she tasted perfect. She'd never been kissed. He couldn't believe no one had ever kissed this gorgeous woman. She was just fucking perfect. And his. He would kiss her, pleasure her, be the first man to ever satisfy her. Even if she left him someday she'd never forget that. She'd always be his in some way.

Her fingers on his chest had nearly driven him crazy. He'd had to get her hands out of reach before he just cut off her clothes and sank himself inside her body. Now those same slender fingers were pressing sweetly to his neck and scalp. Her sounds, sweet little mews, and moans. And the way she said his name... he didn't care if she ever called him anything else but Riddick. But his name being moaned in her voice...he was feeling lucky his cock hadn't just gone off in his pants.

He needed to be inside her, needed to feel her slick wet pussy around his cock, or he was pretty sure he'd go insane. Riddick shifted slightly, turned and bent so Kitten's back was against the couch seat cushions. She'd straddled him earlier and now her legs were wrapped around his waist as he eased himself down against her body.

He'd put his mouth to her neck and breasts again, heard her breath hitch and a shudder go through her but the scent that hit his nose was not pleasure. She was trembling under him and Riddick opened his eyes to look down at her. Beautiful, her dark hair tumbled over the cushions, her dark eyes were wide, and she was terrified. "Kitten?" Riddick eased back so his weight wasn't on her body anymore.

"Sorry," She whispered and he felt like an idiot. He knew those scum had raped her. Of course, they'd put her on her back. Shaking his head at his own stupidity Riddick sat back and tugged her back up, onto his lap, not straddling him this time. He'd waited more than a year; he could keep waiting a while longer.

"Hey, I shoulda known better," Riddick shrugged and looked at her worried face. "Ain't the end a the 'verse after all."

She still smelt worried and finally voiced her concern, "What if I can't ever...like that? I mean, what if—"

Riddick shook his head, "If ifs and buts were candy an' nuts we'd all have a Merry _tā mā de_ Christmas." He told her sarcastically. "Think I mind if you hafta ride me the first time? Or if we gotta try other positions?" He kissed her hard on the mouth, "Just wanna be with you Kitten. You wanna be with me?" When she nodded he kissed her again, gentler this time. "Then stop worryin'. Everything else? It's just details."

She'd tilted her head at him and he'd known she was Reading him, "Riddick is not...disappointed that we will not be...consummating our, this..." She hesitated again over her word choice.

Riddick laughed and slid his hand up her side, cupping her breast and enjoying the swell of desire he could smell on her. "Think it's called an affair or a relationship or somethin' like," He kissed her again. "Ain't ever had one of them, so I'll probably fuck it up."

"But you aren't disappointed?" Kitten was still looking at him worriedly and he shrugged.

"Kitten, do I wanna go balls deep into you? Fuck yes," He told her flatly. "I ain't dead. I've been wanting you for more than a year." He knew he was being sarcastic but for a genius she could be a little dense about certain things. "Ever since I saw you wash, and even a bit before. But startin' right up again after you were that scared? That ain't right. Wouldn't do that to one of the women in the bars let alone my gorgeous partner. So... we just wait a while."

"We have to wait?" She sounded disappointed, upset almost. Riddick tilted his head to look at her and inhaled deeply. She still smelled of need, desire for him, and he'd been right, disappointment. As if he'd told her he didn't really want her.

"We don't gotta," He offered. With more care than he'd ever taken with anyone Riddick slid his hand from her breast down to her hips, stroking the skin over the waistband of her cargos from her hips to her back. One palm cupped her pretty ass and pulled her closer. He leaned up and took her mouth again, reveling in the feel of her body pressing against his. She moaned into his mouth and her hands snuck down to the snap of his pants, flicking it open.

"Let go," She mumbled into his mouth. He didn't hear what she said until she pulled her lips away from his mouth and even then he growled and tried to follow her. Kitten pulled further back and repeated herself, "Riddick, let go."

Reluctantly he obeyed, instinctively breathing in to catch her scent. She wasn't afraid, wasn't angry, she smelt heated and sweet, gorgeous with desire in his nose. "What?" He wanted to know when her body wasn't touching his anymore, "Gotta stop after all?" He wasn't irritated, he told himself. She'd been brutalized. If she wanted to stop and start a hundred times he could take it. Sweet unholy fuck he wanted her to enjoy this and pushing wouldn't help that. But she was giggling a little nervously and shaking her head at him.

"Don't want to stop. Want to keep going. But clothing is in the way," She told him. Her teeth pulled at her bottom lip, her tongue flickering over the scar. It sent his blood boiling with lust quicker than it ever had before and he reached for her.

Her little shoes first, soft things that covered her feet and made no sound on the decks. He pulled them off and put them on the table so Dog wouldn't try to snack on them. Her feet were bare, with toes painted some glossy dark color and he grinned at them. Then her pants, cargo pants that cupped her ass and hips perfectly and taunted him when he hadn't been allowed to touch. He hoped he wasn't too rough as he unbuttoned and unzipped and pulled them off her long, curved, legs.

And she was half in his lap, wearing only a little pair of panties that were barely a triangle to hide her dark curls. He hooked his fingers over the soft fabric and dragged them down her legs. "Fuck me blind," Riddick cursed as he got his first look at his Kitten totally naked. "C'mere," He began to pull her close again.

"Riddick must remove his clothing," She shook her head at him and began to unzip his pants. He hadn't bothered with his boots this morning. Hell, he hadn't bothered with shorts either. He'd stripped off what he'd slept in, dragged on a pair of cargo pants and a tee-shirt and gone in search of her. He lifted his hips and shucked the pants off his legs before grabbing for his woman again.

This time she let herself be caught and he groaned as her wet pussy pressed up against his hot and aching cock. Her breasts were swollen and rubbing against his chest and he pulled her closer, until her face was level with his. "Be sure," He warned her and deliberately rocked his hips against hers. His cock was getting covered with her juices, her scent on his skin and he couldn't remember wanting anyone more in his life. "Kitten," Riddick stared at her and dared her to Read what was in his mind.

Her hands gripped his shoulders and neck before she pressed her mouth against his and nipped at his lips with her teeth, demanding that he do something. "Riddick, don't stop," She breathed the words against his lips and he knew that unless she started to reek of terror nothing was going to prevent him from having her.

He kissed her like she wanted, caught that lower lip between his lips and sucked on that little scar, running his tongue over it like he'd imagined too often. Hell, he'd been fantasizing about that scar and laving it with his tongue since he'd gotten a look at her mouth on Not Furya. He'd thought then that she was beautiful and the only thing that had changed was she'd grown even more so. She moaned into his mouth and Riddick shuddered, sliding a hand up to cup her breast again. The tremor that ran over her skin filled his nose with the scent of her need and he groaned. Her skin was silky and smooth under his hands, her body firm and sweet against his and he just wanted to slide inside her and feel her tight wet heat around him.

* * *

 

River wasn't sure exactly how much more she could take. Riddick's hands shouldn't have been able to make her feel so much. His _diǎo_ rocked between her thighs, rubbing and pressing against her _yīn dì_ until she felt as if flames were going to burst over her skin.

One big hand pressed and kneaded her breast, his fingers tugged on her nipple until she cried out with need. She held onto his shoulders and pushed him back until his mouth was torn from hers and began to press her mouth to his neck, his shoulders, his chest, wanting to give him a fraction of the pleasure he was giving her. She felt more than heard his groan as she nipped at his pulse point.

One of his hands slid up to her back and wrapped into her hair, tugging slightly and arching her spine, thrusting her breasts upward. River couldn't stifle the moan that rose in her throat as Riddick fastened his mouth to her breasts again. She was gasping, without words, without the ability to do anything but feel those delicious lips as they surrounded her sensitive flesh. His tongue flicked over her, teasing her with sensation.

River felt her hips twitching, rubbing helplessly against him, his free hand on her ass, pressing her lower body against his. She was straddling his body but Riddick was in complete control. "Please," She knew the word was a barely audible moan. "Riddick," She shifted slightly and his _jī ba_ pressed harder between her thighs.

He didn't reply, simply moved his mouth from one breast to another, sucking on her flesh as if he intended to make a meal of her. By the time Riddick released her, drew her mouth back down to his, nipping and sucking at her tongue and lips, her thighs were soaked with her own moisture, drenching his body against hers. "C'mere," He lifted her body off his and turned to set her on the back of the couch.

River watched as Riddick positioned himself between her thighs, splaying them wide to accommodate his broad shoulders. "What—" She blinked as Riddick gave her another wicked grin and tugged her legs forward until he'd hooked her knees over his shoulders.

"I'm gonna make sure you come good an' hard for me Kitten," He told her and pressed a kiss to the inside of her knee. "All you gotta do is hang on to me," Riddick's mouth began to nip and kiss its way up from her knees, over her thighs and finally to her _yīn dào_ as she watched in fascinated shock. His tongue slid inside her body and began to lick her from the inside out. The sensation was indescribable; his lips teased and devoured her, as if he was simply kissing her mouth until she couldn't stop her moans.

She tried to spread her thighs wider for him, her hands clinging to his forearms even as his hands held her hips still for his mouth. And then he chuckled evilly against her body and lifted his head to look up at her, breathing deeply to judge her reaction. His mind was wide open, full of how pretty and soft and wet her body was and how much he enjoyed that it was for him. The erotic images in his mind were like sparks to tinder and she shuddered, "Riddick." Her voice was a whisper as she stared down at him.

"River Tam, my Kitten," He retorted and kissed her belly and her thighs again before he dipped his head down and began to tease and lick along her _yīn chún_ until he found the hot swollen bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs. One long slow lick of his tongue and a cry of need from her told Riddick exactly what he wanted to know in order to drive her insane.

It was torture, hot, slow, building pressure within her belly, sending tendrils of fire into every part of her body until she couldn't stop moaning, would have humped his face if his hands hadn't held her still. And then his tongue stopped licking, teased her once or twice as she moaned desperately, before his lips surrounded her _yīn dì_ and sucked as gently as he had her nipples. River didn't know how it happened, what had happened that she lost control, her moans escalated into a scream as the lava in her veins exploded. Every muscle, every nerve seemed to contract and expand simultaneously in one huge long burst of ecstasy.

She lost all control of her body, only Riddick's hands kept her upright. She was spinning, dizzy, sensation blinding her to everything but his hands and mouth and body. She clung to him; his hands lifted her, clutched her to his broad chest and pulled her down against him again. She was straddling him, like before, but now she was unsteady with pleasure. This time she reached for his cock, stroked her hand up and down his hard flesh and kissed him. His mouth tasted of her juices, and he groaned against her lips. River felt his hands on her thighs, spreading her body so she was kneeling over his cock, "Kitten."

When Riddick said her name, River forced her eyes open through the haze of pleasure and looked down. His cock seemed impossible for her body to take in but she nodded anyway, "Yes." She gripped his shoulders, "Please yes."

Riddick kissed her again and she stiffened in spite of herself, bracing for the pain she knew from experience would come. But it didn't. His hands stroked over her back, pressed her breasts to his chest and his kiss simply sipped and nibbled at her mouth until she was shivering with need again. The head of his _diǎo_ rubbed against her opening, hot and thick, but it didn't hurt. She could feel his need, but he simply stayed where he was until she squirmed in desperation.

His fingers teased her breasts, tugging on her nipples until she was moaning into his mouth with the emptiness she felt inside. She was squirming and trying to get closer to him when he finally began to press inside of her. "Oh," She caught her breath in surprise and Riddick didn't give her time to become nervous, with a twist of his hips he was inside her, pushing up, deeper and deeper until he was fully seated within her body.

River shuddered as Riddick pressed harder into her, his hips rocking against hers, it was so different, so...good. She felt tight and too warm and she needed...something. Tentatively she rocked her hips back against his and heard Riddick groan. Pleasure was building in his mind. His hands slid from her back to her hips. "Riddick," She whispered and opened her eyes to stare into his. "It's..."

"It's good," Riddick knew what she was going to say, his mind wide open to hers. He could smell it on her that she wasn't in pain, that his body inside hers was...beyond pleasing. "Gotta move now Kitten," He warned her and she nodded.

She hadn't expected to enjoy this part, that Riddick's body inside hers, moving roughly, desperately, would feel so good. But every part of him seemed to send more heat through her limbs. Every stroke of his _diǎo_  pushed her further towards another orgasm. And when his hands gripped her hips and began to move her body against his, she couldn't resist the sensations anymore. It was deeper, more profound than before, wracking her body with spasms as she fell apart in Riddick's arms.

And then it started again as he continued to drive into her body. He was staring up at her, his silver eyes fixed on her face as he dragged her body up and down his _jī ba_ , desperate to come inside her. He was groaning, his body glistening with a sheen of sweat from his efforts. River moaned softly as her body twitched and clutched around his and pressed her mouth to his neck again, her lips on his jugular, licking the salt of his flesh.

She felt his body stiffen, his _diǎo_  go impossibly hard inside her, pushing deeper and deeper until she moaned her assent to whatever he wanted, "Yes, Riddick." She clutched him tighter to her, licked and sucked hard on his neck and felt him finally let go. The pleasure that seemed to explode through his body filled her, tilted her backwards, sent her reeling as her own body reacted to his.

Panting and gasping, she was limp and helpless in his arms, and Riddick was clutching her against his body as if he was afraid she'd disappear.

 

* * *

 

He'd never felt anything like that. Stupid for a grown man to think but Kitten was...different. Riddick pressed a kiss to her hair, to her cheek and neck and hoped she wasn't aching too badly. "Kitten," He murmured her name after a few minutes of silence.

"His Kitten is fine," Her voice was a sleepy little purr and it made his animal want to preen. He'd done that, put that satisfied purr in her voice. "Riddick is a very good lover if the strength of the pleasure he gave her is any indication." She nuzzled his neck and he felt her lips press against his pulse again. "Thought it would hurt, when you entered me. But you made sure it wouldn't."

"I ain't a small man," Riddick muttered. "If I take the time over whores and the bar women, I'm damn sure gonna take time for you Kitten. More if you were still nervous."

"Not nervous," She kissed his neck again and drew back to look at him. "I would like to do this again, after we have left for Beaumonde. Much time in the Black. Want to learn how to please you."

"You pleased me anymore I'd be fuckin' dead," He grinned at her. "So you like it, kissin' an' all then?"

"He is...very...different from other men," She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I like kissing. I like sex too. I didn't know if I would." Her smile was hopeful and Riddick grinned as he kissed her on the mouth.

"Well I like kissing you," He told her. "I like..." He leered at her playfully and couldn't help grinning again when she giggled. Damn it was fun to tease like this and make her laugh. "Well I like pretty much the whole package of you." He drew her mass of hair over her shoulder and watched it spill down across her thighs. "Do me a favor though, when we're on the ship, an' we ain't sparring..."

He stopped, wondered if what he was asking was too much. She had reasons to wear her hair up. Reasons that had everything to do with what had happened to her. Her slender fingers on his lips brought his attention back to what he'd been going to say and he shook his head. Kitten glared at him, "Could just Read you and find out what you wanted to ask." She reminded him. "Riddick, please just ask. I asked you for kisses and you gave them to me. What do you want?"

"Wear your hair down," He blurted the words out. "I wanna see your hair like this when we aren't...makin' out." It had been on the tip of his tongue to say 'fucking' but if Kitten was anything she was a lady. And asking for a favor in one breath while using what she'd call 'uncouth' language in another probably wouldn't get him what he wanted.

Her smile was sweet and amused and he guessed she'd Read what he was thinking. She'd pressed a kiss to his mouth with the smile still on her lips. "She will. If she is not sparring or working on the engine, will leave her hair loose. No braids. No twists or plaits."

Riddick had felt something hot and bright burn inside his chest, it had blazed to life and settled into long burning embers more than a year ago. Now it was hot inside him and he wasn't going to think about what it meant. It wasn't important right now. Kitten was important. "Thanks," Was all he could manage to say. "Guess we oughta get this crate moving? Head out for Beaumonde?"

"Cargo is expected on the docks within two weeks," Kitten nodded and sighed. "But I don't wish to move." She shifted slightly and looked a touch uncomfortable as their bodies separated. "I should though. Need to clean up."

"You touch yourself Kitten?" Riddick asked the question before he could censor his words. "Ever?"

"On _Serenity_ , yes," She nodded, her cheeks darkening with blood. He kissed her soft cheek as she turned her face into his neck. "But here? No. No desire for my own hands. No desire for anyone but my big partner. And to touch myself? Knowing that you would smell or hear me?" She shook her head and he could smell her mortification at the thought of such a thing.

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Riddick brushed his lips over her hair and cheek and tugged her hair down until she was looking up at him. "Animals...unless they're some sorta monkey...not real big on self-service." He held her close in spite of their agreement that they should get to work. He didn't want to let go of her yet. There was always the possibility that this was a one-time thing for her. That she wouldn't want to be with him again.

Kitten looked at him and her soft hands cupped his face, "She has no intention of cutting Riddick loose. She wants to spend much time in bed with him." Her lips descended to brush over his tenderly. "My _bàng jiār_ ," She reminded him. "But we must get to work. After we are in the Black...Riddick must show her how to pleasure him orally as he did her."

Riddick groaned his agreement and kissed her hard on the mouth, "We shower, get out of atmo, get a course laid in, we set the autopilot and we go back to bed. Want you in my bed Kitten."

She nodded and sighed in resignation. "Let's shower before we take off, we've already paid the dock fees for the full two days. May as well get the most of them."

Riddick kissed her one more time before he helped her to her feet. The discussion of what to do and how much time they could shave off their trip to Beaumonde filled their time and their physical relationship was shelved for the moment. At least as far as the conversation went.

He looked at Kitten's gorgeous twitching ass as she picked up her clothing and threw his pants at him playfully. He could handle a little waiting if she was on the other side of it. If there was ever a woman worth waiting for it was his Kitten. River Tam, his little mind reading genius, assassin, dancer and partner. Yeah, he could control himself for a while before he had her again. He could wait for her.

But he didn't want to. Riddick frowned and checked the clock on the wall. They had five hours before they had to be off the docks. He could do a helluva lot with five hours. And damned if he was gonna waste a bit of them. He grinned as he caught the scent of Kitten's body again. Her heart rate had picked up. She wasn't ready to stop any more than he was. But he was catching something else of her too. She smelt of uncertainty for all that she was moving with confidence.

Sometimes he forgot that she probably didn't have a lot of experience with men, healthy experience anyway. Not that he'd know what healthy was if he sat in it. But he got the impression she hadn't…dated much before the mercs had gotten her. Never been kissed was a huge hint in that direction. So she didn't know what her move was supposed to be. Never having a lover meant she had no idea how to behave after sex. She didn't know what was comfortable for her or what the norm was. He'd never thought he'd end up with a woman so innocent in some ways and painfully knowledgeable in others.

Falling back on business as usual might grate on his nerves but he could see why she'd do it, even if she didn't really want to. It was at least familiar ground, no matter how much she might want to keep going. She didn't know if that was appropriate or normal. He didn't want to stop what they'd started either. Not until he'd had his hands and mouth on every inch of her body. He could see it, smell it on her that she wanted him just as badly.

She was more disciplined though. She picked up her clothes with every line of her body shouting reluctance to walk away from him. Stubborn little woman. He'd have to remind her that he was stubborn too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So they finally slept together. Not that sex will solve everything. They've still got a few issues left to deal with. Should be interesting I hope. They need to deal with Niska, her old crew and Shirah…and then the Necros are still floating around out there. And they still have to earn a living. Lots to do…so they really can't spend all their time in bed.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> tā mā de (fucking)
> 
> diǎo (cock)
> 
> yīn dì (clitoris)
> 
> jī ba (dick)
> 
> yīn dào (vagina)
> 
> yīn chún (labia)
> 
> bàng jiār (lover / partner)


	24. Neither Rhyme Nor Reason Can Express How Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ROSALIND  
> But are you so much in love as your rhymes speak?  
> ORLANDO  
> Neither rhyme nor reason can express how much
> 
> -As You Like It, William Shakespeare

River wondered if Riddick forgot she was a Reader or if he just didn't mind her hearing his thoughts. His plotting to take her back to bed was disturbingly arousing. Was it just his appetite for sex or was it an appetite for her that had him unwilling to wait forty minutes to have her again? She couldn't be certain, but his mind was consumed with thoughts of what they could be doing instead of laundry.

She'd pulled on her shirt and gathered up her clothing; her panties were of no use and would require laundering. Dog had rubbed his head all over her bra and pants as well as her shirt. She shook her head, no use for it. She'd have to get a load of laundry going before they left the docks. And they still needed to shower. If Riddick let her out of his sight long enough for them to wash. She got the impression he enjoyed that his scent was within hers. It seemed to satisfy what he called the animal in him.

Riddick was watching her _pì gu_ as she walked away and she couldn't help turning to look at him with a smile. "Must do laundry," She told him and felt herself blushing at the look on his face. He looked hungry and satisfied at the same time. "Dog has covered our clothing with hair."

He was standing naked, in the middle of the common area still, unconcerned with his lack of clothing. Those silver eyes gleamed wickedly as she came to close and his quick hands grabbed for her waist. "Really not too worried 'bout laundry right now Kitten," He remarked as he pulled her body close to his. Warm strong hands rubbed over her skin and through her hair, his lips on her jaw, chocolate and whiskey voice murmuring in her ear. "So _tiān shā de_ gorgeous. Want you again… can't get enough of you."

Pressed against him she couldn't ignore his obvious arousal. The whores hadn't been exaggerating about Riddick's quick recovery time. His _diǎo_ was rampant and pressing against her belly. And his hands were stroking down her back, cupping her _pì gu_ to remind her of how good he could make her feel. And his mouth was nibbling at her ear, teasing her with sensation.

"Five minutes," She bargained, breathless as her heart started pounding in anticipation. "To put clothes in the washer." Part of her was wondering why in the 'verse was she arguing with him when all she wanted was his hands on her again.

"Three," He countered and bent to nibble at the pulse throbbing in her neck. River moaned; that wasn't the only part of her throbbing at his touch. Her entire body felt like one huge exposed nerve for Riddick to pluck.

"Five if he can't let go of her now," She moaned. "His clothing, hers, set the cycle, put in the soap. Three minutes turn into five if she cannot walk." She wasn't joking, her knees felt like jelly and she doubted her feet would work.

That pleased him; she could feel his grin against her skin, his wicked humor over her confession. "Five," He agreed, satisfied enough by her words that he'd give up the extra two minutes. His hands were rubbing up and down her thighs and River blinked.

She'd wrapped her legs around his waist when he'd lifted her up. She hadn't even realized that she'd done it. No wonder he was feeling pleased. When he let her down slowly River clutched at his arms for a moment, bliss spun her head around. "Kitten?" Riddick's voice had a thread of concern with his good humor.

"He spins her about," River told him dryly. "And he wonders that she needs the time to adjust to walking?"

That got a laugh out of him and he scooped her up into his arms like she was a bride, "Should I just carry you around then?" He teased her as he set her down outside her room. "You grab your laundry an' I'll grab mine."

She was nodding and opening her door, thinking she'd pull on a robe to wear while she started the wash. Riddick's voice echoed down the hall to her ears, "Fair warnin' Kitten, you cover up that gorgeous ass...it'd better be somethin' easy to take off, or that you don' mind havin' shredded."

River considered her robe and pulled it on anyway. It was one of the few luxurious items she owned and would be very easy for him to take off of her. Black synthetic silk in a damask pattern and lined with synthetic wool plush for warmth. The only thing that held it around her body was the sash and that was easily untied.

She grabbed her basket of laundry and approached his door. Riddick looked down at her and growled his displeasure at her body being covered up. Uppermost in his mind was the hope that she'd walk around naked more often. River rolled her eyes at him and when she made to take his basket found it withheld from her grasp.

"I can carry my own junk," He reminded her. "Keep tellin' you, you don't gotta wait on me."

River rolled her eyes again and started for the little laundry room. It was more of a laundry closet next to the head but it had a washer and dryer and a wall of cabinets over them with a counter suitable for folding or pre-scrubbing stains. She threw the clothing in, grabbed his basket worth of clothes and pitched them in on top of hers. One soap packet and a wash cycle set later and she was turning to look up at her partner.

He was still very naked and very aroused. And he was right behind her. River blinked up at him. His eyes were so bright, hot and liquid as mercury, staring down at her. "That had better come off easy Kitten," His fingers slid down the lapels of the robe, caressing the inner curves of her breasts as the fabric overlapped at her waist. "Don' think I won't rip clothes offa you to get at your body. Want to see you… touch you."

"Unties," She felt like she could hardly breathe. She'd always known her partner was a predator, but he'd never made her his prey. Was this what Dahl had felt when she'd learned Riddick had spied on her? Was it how the women in the bars felt? Drawn like a magnet to this beautiful man because of how dangerous he was not in spite of it?

"Good," He found the sash and tugged the bow open; the robe fell apart, exposing her body to his gaze. Callused fingers slid down her sternum to her belly and cupped her mound, sliding easily between her nether lips. "So wet," Riddick groaned the words and his other arm wrapped around her waist.

River moaned as those nimble fingers began to tease and stroke her sensitive flesh. Riddick was watching her reaction, watching to see what she'd do as he pulled her close to his body, studying her and inhaling to read her scent, making sure he wasn't frightening her. "Bed?" She half asked half hoped.

"Yeah," He nodded and the arm around her waist pulled her up so he could walk with her in his arms. He didn't even seem to feel her weight, his other hand still tugging and plucking at her _yīn dì_.

River blinked as she realized he wanted her in his room. He'd headed towards it without a second thought. Big hands pulled the robe off her and he threw it over his desk chair before laying her on the bed. Before she could stiffen or grow nervous, Riddick stretched out beside her and drew her close for a long sensual kiss. "Riddick," She was moaning his name into his mouth as if it was the only word she knew.

"Yeah," He began to kiss her neck, breathed in her scent, his hands stroking over her skin. "Like that," The big man told her between kisses.

"Like what?" Was he really trying to have a conversation with her, River wondered. Between his mouth and his hands, it felt like she'd lost a hundred IQ points. She was in no shape for a chat. It was time to turn the tables. She smoothed her hands down from his shoulders to his chest and listened to him groan as she reached his nipples again. His mouth crashed down on hers and sucked hard on her lower lip, his tongue laving her scar hungrily.

He was vibrating with need, holding her against his body, until she had to wiggle her hand but she managed to get her palm between the two of them. He actually moaned when she wrapped her fingers around his _jī ba_. "Fuck me blind," Riddick cursed.

His reaction, beyond cursing his in pleasure, was to wrap her leg around his waist and kiss her again. River smiled a bit smugly when his bright eyes stared from her face down to her hand between their bodies. "He is not blind yet," She teased him.

His grin did not bode well for her winning this little game. And sure enough, with a twist of his hips she lost her grip on his cock. He entered her more slowly this time, watching her face as he filled her body with his. River didn't know if she was simply over sensitized, or if he'd hit some new angle but once Riddick's pelvis met hers it took one rotation of his hips and a volcano of pleasure exploded from inside her.

It didn't stop, seemed to build and build until she was wailing his name, mindless cries of ecstasy as his body pounded against hers. All she could do was wrap her arms around him, twine them under his arms and up his spine to hold his body close to hers. He was growling, his mouth against hers, kissing her fiercely, demanding that she keep up with him.

River felt when his fall was close, his hips were moving faster, snapping hard against hers and he was panting, gasping for air as pleasure stole his lungs. "Riddick, my Riddick," She whispered his name against his lips and felt his entire body stiffen and tremble against hers. Her name was a shout of triumph and pleasure against her mouth as he came with a series of hard jerks deep inside her, setting off a cascade of miniature explosions in her own muscles around him.

She stroked a hand down his spine lazily and didn't comment on the scars she felt on his shoulders. His head was pillowed on her shoulder and hair, his arms wrapped tightly around her still. As if he was afraid she'd leave since for the moment he was spent. River turned her face slightly so she could kiss his temple. It wasn't lost on her that even in the throes of need Riddick hadn't put her on her back. He'd kept her close to him, but on her side, safe from her memories.

 

* * *

 

Riddick looked down at his exhausted lover. He'd worn her out, at least for a little while. His stomach growled and he realized that neither of them had eaten. And she'd mentioned that she hadn't slept well. No wonder she was half asleep. He didn't have it in him to regret it really, he'd wanted her since they'd met and getting to know her, contrary to his expectations, had only made him want her more.

He looked over at the clock with its glowing numbers and sighed. He'd have to get the damn boat moving soon or the dock's office would be waving and wanting fees for another day. Kitten stirred and lifted her head off his arm, murmuring tiredly, "She will come and lay in a course."

Fuck, even her voice sounded exhausted, Riddick cursed his own stupidity, "You stay right there." The growl in his voice was more at himself than her but she opened her eyes and glared up at him. "Sleep a bit while I get us in the air," He gentled his tone a bit and leaned down to kiss her. He shouldn't have worn her out so much. Some _tā mā de_ partner he was.

"She can keep up with him," Her jaw was set in that stubborn line that always got him hot. Having had her constantly for the past five hours didn't change that fact. Her strength of will was one of the sexiest things about her. "Doesn't need to be coddled."

_Tā mā de dì yù_ , as if he'd ever coddled anyone in his entire life. Riddick nearly rolled his eyes, "I can handle chartin' a course an' gettin' us into atmo an' onto autopilot." He reminded her. "Maybe I want somethin' to look forward to through that." When she blinked at him and he smelled her confusion Riddick grinned and rubbed his mouth over hers again. "I wanna think about you in my bed Kitten. Want you here, sleepin' or readin', waitin' for me to come back an' start this all over again."

It was the truth and had the benefit of being something that had haunted his dreams for almost a year. And God knew she needed a little rest from his appetites. He hadn't even bothered to pull the quilts back, they'd been going at it like rabbits on top of the bed and it was by barest chance that they hadn't shoved the pillows to the floor. Uh oh, her dark eyes were snapping up at him. He shouldn't have thought she needed a rest. "Riddick can have what he wants on one condition," She told him imperiously.

He rubbed his chin and looked at her thoughtfully. He'd bedded a lot of women but none of them had the ability to look and sound like a queen while being stark naked and flushed from his attentions. His woman really was something special. But then he'd known that for a while. He wasn't completely stupid. "So what's the condition then?" He asked finally.

Her smile softened, "She wishes to shave him. Thought about it many times."

Riddick chuckled, "Figures you want to put a knife to my throat." He teased her as he lifted himself off the bed and pulled on a pair of shorts. No reason to give anyone an eyeful if he got a wave while he was on the bridge. He pulled the quilts back and scooped her up to set her onto the sheets amazed at the wave of satisfaction that rolled over him at the sight of River Tam, his Kitten, in his bed. She looked perfect. Like she was right where she belonged. Damned if he ever wanted to let her out of his bed again.

Her tired chuckle could have been at his possessive thoughts but when she spoke it was in response to his words. "Riddick is very foolish if he thinks she is idiot enough to try and slit his throat when he has proved such an exemplary lover," She murmured. Tired white hands fumbled with the edge of the quilt and Riddick surprised himself by pulling it up over her. Her grateful smile sent a wave of warmth through him. "He is considerate as well," Kitten sighed.

"Oh yeah," Riddick laughed gruffly. "I'm a real catch." He smoothed a hand over her rumpled hair, tucking the quilt around her and groaned when he caught sight of the clock. "I'll be back in a bit Kitten."

"Promise?" She sounded worried for a moment. He wondered how bad her dreams of Shirah had been that she had to ask when his mind was so full of being with her. He'd be lucky he could think of astrological points to chart a course when his brain was on overload thinking of her.

Riddick paused and crouched by the bed, "I ain't done with you woman." He told her with a wicked smile that set her tired eyes a glow. "'S why I'm keepin' you in my bed."

Her hand stroked over his rough cheek in a gentle caress before he tucked her fingers back under the quilts. He'd noticed she tended to be colder than he was since she didn't have as much flesh on her bones. Woman had some cold feet on her. She was still thinner than he thought was healthy. He'd have to read up and see what they could do to help her get healthier. He got the feeling that sixteen months with the mercs had done more damage than he'd first thought.

The convict forced himself to his feet and out the door grumbling to himself about docking fees and a gorram idiot without enough self-control to make a deadline. There was a wave from the Dock master, confirming the departure time. A not so subtle hint that they should be going soon or fork over another day's worth of fees and he sent a short wave back with his answer. He kept his wave to text only though, no point in giving anyone more of a look at his face than they'd had already. He doubted he'd gone unnoticed last night.

One thing he would say for the Knorr, it was a tidy little ship. Easy to fly, enough so that he could probably do it in his sleep, and might just have done so a time or two. And it wasn't exactly noticeable. Seemed like the further out to the Rim they went the more he saw ships like theirs. They were a common sight even out near the Helion system. That was fine with him. He and River had deliberately decided against several other ships that were faster because the authorities tended to keep a sharp eye on them. They hadn't needed to give the Feds any extra reasons to come looking. The two of them had enough trouble on their own.

Still, by the time they were cleared to leave Riddick felt like slicing someone into pieces he was so impatient. Taking the _Sanguine_ out of the atmosphere and into the Black was a relief. He grinned at the name in spite of his irritation. It had been Kitten's idea, and he'd had a vague notion that it was humorous when she suggested it. Then she'd explained the double meaning of the word, hopeful, optimistic but it could also mean bloody. He'd liked that a lot and the smell of her good humor as she giggled over it had done a lot to convince him it was a decent name.

He liked how his little woman smelled when she was amused. Didn't matter if it was at Dog, at himself, or at other people, Kitten was a pure delight when she was mischievous. He keyed in a course for Beaumonde and considered trying to shave off some time. They'd have to go through some of the more popular space lanes if he wanted to carve a couple days off the trip. Wasn't worth it. Too much chance of Feds or pirates. Or worse.

They'd make Beaumonde in a couple of weeks. That was in time for the cargo delivery, which was what mattered. And currently he felt like there were worse things than being alone in the Black with that beautiful woman currently asleep in his bed. His thoughts drifted back to how Kitten had sounded when he'd first put his mouth to her. She'd been surprised at what he was doing, but she hadn't shied away from it, hadn't told him to stop.

He'd been a little surprised that in the course of almost five hours he hadn't come across anything that she'd been truly uncomfortable with. He'd smelt nerves on her a few times, each time he'd made to enter her body, and guessed that over time those would fade. She was still half expecting pain to come along with sex. If there was one thing he was going to prove to her before she was done with him, it was that sex was something that should always feel good.

He pushed that thought away. He didn't think he'd ever be done with her, but sooner or later, she'd probably get sick of dealing with him. Riddick rubbed the frown creasing his forehead away. He didn't want to think about that. This wasn't the time. She was asleep in his bed right now. And he was an idiot if he started thinking about the inevitable end when they'd barely begun whatever this was.

Dog pawed at the door to the bridge and Riddick turned in his chair to open the door for him. "I ain't stayin' here you know," He told the big animal as he turned back to the console and began to key in the course for the autopilot. If there was one thing having a cortex genius was good for it was programming. Kitten had taken the basic console and autopilot and augmented both with boards scrounged from Universe's moon until the autopilot could do a lot more than just sound proximity alarms. The autopilot could do almost everything he could except take off, land and make emergency adjustments. It was more than anyone would expect from a Knorr. But the more surprises the Sanguine had the safer he and Kitten were.

She'd been pretty tricky about teaching him too, leaving little bits and pieces of her work out that he'd looked at and finished. He'd rebuilt half the console with her before he'd realized she was coaxing him into not acting like big and dumb was his default setting. She'd grinned at him happily when he'd put one of the boards down in front of her and told her to just say so if she wanted help. She'd smelt so pleased that he'd finally realized just how annoying his wooden rooster act was to her. He guessed having someone who could keep up with her was as much a pleasure to her as it was to him. Mentally and physically.

Kitten had never treated him as if he was actually stupid. Riddick smiled slightly as he locked the console against anyone but him or Kitten flying it. A needless precaution maybe but neither one of them were inclined to take chances these days. Not with her old crew on the lookout for them. And Niska after their hides. "C'mon," He jerked his head at Dog and stood up from the pilot's chair. "No messing with my woman though. You stay off the bed less she don't mind you bein' on."

Dog whined for all the world as if he knew what Riddick was saying and followed him off the bridge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Sorry I'm a couple days late. Car trouble took up a lot of time last week and posting went completely out of my mind… So mostly fluff with some sort of plot-ish stuff thrown in. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> pì gu (butt)
> 
> tiān shā de (goddamn)
> 
> diǎo (cock)
> 
> yīn dì (clitoris)
> 
> jī ba (dick)
> 
> tā mā de (fucking)
> 
> Tā mā de dì yù, (fucking hell)


	25. Now From Head To Foot I Am Marble-Constant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What poor an instrument  
> May do a noble deed! He brings me liberty.  
> My resolution's placed, and I have nothing  
> Of woman in me. Now from head to foot  
> I am marble-constant. Now the fleeting moon  
> No planet is of mine.
> 
> -Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare

He woke up to a very unfamiliar sensation, something he hadn't felt since the Necros. A woman's mouth on his skin. He kept himself in that relaxed state, mimicking sleep until his memory caught up with present time. Kitten was in bed with him. Any day that started with that was a good one.

He'd gotten a course laid in; set the autopilot after getting them away from Santo and come back to his room. Kitten had been sleeping, one of his pillows clutched in her arms, her head on another one. He'd slipped into the bed next to her with the half-formed notion of kissing her awake. When he'd pulled the pillow out of her grasp she'd woken up just enough to see him. Her whisper of his name was filled with pleasure, and her skin had exuded pure joy. She'd let go of the pillow and draped herself over his chest, falling back to sleep on top of him.

That had him nonplussed for a minute or two but he'd decided he liked it. The way she'd said his name, the way it had sounded on her lips…it had made that something in his chest burn a bit hotter. But he'd pushed considerations of that away and wrapped his arms around her. Riddick remembered he'd decided a nap wouldn't be a bad thing and then he'd wake her up like he'd planned when he'd climbed into bed.

Soft, teasing kisses over his chest and shoulders and a slender weight straddling his legs brought his mind back to the present. He was ready to go, and it took all of his self-control to not drag her up over him and thrust inside her. But he could smell she wasn't quite in the state as he was. Her mouth closed over one of his nipples and sucked and he inhaled sharply.

"She knows he is awake," Kitten's voice was amused. "Riddick has the tables turned now," Her giggle against his sensitive skin sent heat boiling through him and he opened his eyes to slits. Her hair had been bundled out of her way, twisted down her back and she was working her way down his body.

"Yeah?" He groaned as her hands fluttered over his hipbones and her mouth slid further down his body towards his aching cock. "So what're you gonna do with me?"

Her eyes were gleaming, dark hot pools as she looked up from her absorption in his flesh, "She is going to torture him as he did her." Her sweet voice was pleased and smug in her knowledge of what she was doing to him. His brain was gibbering about how much he wanted her mouth, how good her lips and hands felt and he knew he was losing his mind.

"Got no choice in it?" Riddick managed to growl the words out as her lips brushed over his hip, her tongue flicking over his flesh. One of her slender hands was gently cupping his balls and he clenched his jaw over a moan at the sensation. Soft gentle hands, even with sword and knife hilt calluses, her hands were soft on his flesh. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. Kitten was deliberately avoiding his prick, teasing him. Beautiful, evil, little witch. His little witch.

"None," She assured him, pressing a kiss to his other hip. "He must lie there and take it like a man." Her free hand circled his cock and stroked upwards and he shuddered. If she kept that up too long, ready as he was, he'd go off without her. Her dark eyes flicked up to his and she smiled at him. Fucking hell, that gorgeous sensual smile said she knew exactly what she was doing and she liked it.

Then her perfect lips closed over the head of his cock and her tongue licked him. Riddick felt the top of his head almost blow off. " _Tiān shā de_ ," He cursed and fought to keep his hips still. And it didn't end.

The next ten minutes were some of the most sensual, wonderful and painful of his life. Kitten licked and sucked and did everything but finish him off. He was clutching the bed sheets; his fists white knuckled with the effort to not lose control and grab her. Her fingers stroked and teased his balls, her mouth was hot and sweet, lips like the best sort of torture around his cock.

The best part was he could smell her, her need growing, could almost taste her juices in the air as her body grew slick and ready for his the more she pleasured him. He was not going to beg, he cursed himself for even thinking it, but he was getting damn close to grabbing her. He didn't care how she did it, but if she didn't do something to finish this, he would. It was getting almost painful, to be so ready and not come.

Dark eyes met his and her mouth released his cock. The moan that escaped from his clenched jaw was pure need for more and that smug smile curved her lips. Her mouth was swollen, lips bee stung from being dragged up and down his cock and he wanted more of them. But she was straddling him again; her hips dangerously close to his, those dancers' legs taut as she positioned her pussy over his cock.

And then she sank down onto him, inch by inch, no nerves in her scent, no fear, pleasure boiling off her body. He loved the moan that was drawn out of her as his cock filled her up, the tight twitching of her muscles inside as his prick stretched her sweet little slit. She was hot and slick and felt like sin on a Sunday it was so good.

When she rotated her hips, Riddick cursed again and felt his eyes almost roll back in his head. Fucking dancers and their muscle control. He groaned as her body rocked against his, slow, minute movements that tormented him every bit as much as her mouth had. She'd been fucking right, this was torture. The sweetest best kind for both of them if he was any judge.

Her hips moved again, a little faster and Kitten's breath caught. A wordless cry as she moved again and she was losing control. Her body tightened around his, fluttered and trembled and he couldn't help moving, his hands on her hips suddenly, pulling her body tight to his, pushing her over into her climax.

Riddick could feel the moan, harsh in his throat as she came, and knew he was lost. Everything was a storm of sensation around him, pulling Kitten down to kiss that beautiful swollen mouth. Burying his face in her tits and sucking hard on those tight dark nipples. One hand on her ass, forcing her body to move while the other slid up to the back of her neck and kept her mouth on his, drinking in her screams of pleasure.

When he came it was like God had finally winked at him and let him have one good thing. He'd never felt anything like it, the glory of her body throbbing around him in her own orgasm, his seed being jerked out of him like fire, as he emptied his balls into his woman. She was his. It was all he could think; his woman, his Kitten. His.

* * *

 

She was dozing next to him and he studied her thoughtfully. There were a thousand little things that he'd noticed in the back of his mind and had never gotten to really look at. The scar that split her bottom lip. The way she worried it with her teeth told him she'd had it for a while. He'd be willing to bet that had happened when the mercs had taken her and she'd tried to fight back.

He knew every part of her body that had been bruised when they'd first met. It had seemed like she'd barely had a square inch of skin that wasn't mottled with a new or healing bruise. Even her beautiful face had born the remains of a black eye, faded across her cheekbone and eyebrow. He'd made sure the ribs Santana had broken were set properly once they'd been aboard the merc boat. The bruises from those had spread over her entire side and he'd been impressed that she was able to move as easily as she did. She'd given him a wry smile, "Academy was not forgiving of weakness in its students." She shrugged, "Surprisingly good preparation for life as a merc's slave."

He'd been so pissed off at the thought that he'd had to do pushups and pull ups until his arms ached to keep from punching the hull. She hadn't been afraid of his anger though, not even then, Reading that he was angry for her, not at her. And wishing that somehow he'd been able to do something to prevent her from suffering.

The first week on the boat, the most upset he'd seen her had been when the plastic comb she'd been using broke. She'd stared at the pieces and bitten her lip so hard he'd smelled blood.

"What's…" He'd turned from the pilot's seat to ask what was wrong and saw her face as she stared at the broken comb in her hand. It had taken her a long time to get all the knots out of her hair and the one pleasure she had that didn't involve talking to him or reading on the cortex was combing out her hair. It had been something the mercs had denied her for whatever reason. "Well shit. Damn thing broke?"

She'd nodded and put the pieces in one of the wall lockers, quickly braiding her hair back so it wouldn't tangle. He hadn't been able to stand how unhappy her scent was. He had Dog and her and the enjoyment of piloting and the beauty of the Black around them. And he knew how he'd feel if he couldn't shave every other day at least.

The remains of his scythe had been dumped in the back of the merc boat and he'd gone and rummaged around while she'd been sleeping. With a bit of work he had a decent sized piece of metal to carve with. Bone made better tools than Necro metal but he had plenty of that. It had taken him half the night but he'd managed to carve out a thick wide toothed comb for her.

The look on her face when she'd seen it on the table in the morning had made the sleepless hours worth it. She'd given him such a huge smile he'd almost been embarrassed. It wasn't that much of a gift. As far as he knew she still had it.

Kitten shifted in her sleep and he looked down at her with a smile. The bruises had healed slowly and she'd started to act like a woman again instead of a beaten slaved out girl. He'd watched as she found clothing that suited her and made her feel safe. She never wore skirts, not outside the boat and rarely inside. He'd rarely see her with her hair down. And she always had a knife or three on her. But she'd gotten herself some make up and the jasmine oil.

He hadn't cared if she wore cosmetics or not. She'd tried to find things that wouldn't bother his sensitive nose which had been considerate of her. And the effect was interesting, making her eyes look bigger and her lips darker. He'd finally figured out that she was using it like a mask when she needed to hide and be someone else.

Her cold feet brushed against his thigh and he drew her closer tucking them in between his lower legs. She'd taken to painting her toes with some color these days. The smell of whatever it was was…not great but she'd made a point of only doing it when they were dirtside. She'd sit on the mule or a crate in the cargo bay with the doors open so the smell didn't bother his nose.

He actually got a bit of a kick out of watching her sometimes. She'd capture her lower lip between her teeth as she manipulated the color and the tiny brush. She was meticulous about it. It reminded him a bit of Dahl on Not Furya though Kitten tended to choose darker colors.

She'd grin at him as he watched and he got the impression that this was one of the things that was truly her, not a mask or a way to hide who she was. Dog would sit quietly at her feet, waiting until she was done and then bounce around when she stood, knowing it was time to play.

He'd half expected that she'd cut her hair off when they got somewhere with a mirror but she'd surprised him by letting it grow. When he'd asked about it she'd shaken her head. "I wear it braided back, wrapped tight. Like an adult, working woman. I don't know if I'll ever be able to have a normal relationship with a man." She slanted a half smile with him, "Though being partners with you is helping. I don't know if I'll be able to have children, if they damaged me irrevocably. They scarred me, beat me, tried to break me. I'm not letting them take anything else from me. Not even hair that would grow again."

She had other scars, old ones, from before the mercs he'd bet. Scars up and down her spine and at the base of her skull. He traced them with his fingertips and frowned. She hadn't talked about them much but he'd bet they were from the Academy too. The small scar over her hip had a small lump under it and he knew that was the implant her brother had given her, to keep her safe from unwanted pregnancy. He spared a thought of gratitude to the man, at least she hadn't had to go through the nightmare of being impregnated by the rapist bastard mercs.

He bent down and kissed her temple, smoothing her hair, and tucked the quilts around her more snugly. He'd let her rest a bit more, enjoy the feeling of her in his arms before they had to get up and get some food.

* * *

 

River shifted as her stomach made itself known and sighed reluctantly. So far, they'd spent the better part of nine hours in bed. Neither of them had eaten. They'd napped for what she calculated was an hour perhaps and then she'd woken Riddick. Riddick was stroking his hand through her hair, the other on her thighs. He seemed to enjoy having her on top of him, her body touching his somehow, whenever they were at rest.

"Hungry?" He asked idly and she Read that he was feeling pretty starved but was just as reluctant to leave the bed. He still had the silly idea that she'd go back to her room and be done with him if he let her out of his sight.

"Hmm…" River pushed herself up and kissed his lips lingeringly. "So is he. A meal and a shower, since she did not get one while we were docked." She gave him a mock glare for that sin and Riddick just grinned unrepentantly. "And then she will do something nice for her _bàng jiār_."

"You been doin' somethin' 'nice' for me for hours now," The big man chuckled. "Guess 'nice' is as good as any way to describe it." He was holding onto her more tightly and she knew Riddick didn't even realize he was doing it.

"A meal and a shower. He may shower while she cooks. She will shower while he cleans up," River coaxed him. "And then she will dance for him, with her hair down," She eyed him expectantly and was not disappointed when his eyes lit up like fire. That particular fantasy came up every time she danced, that he wanted to see her hair down while she was moving. He knew why she didn't wear it like that when they were at clubs. Long hair or swinging braids, it was something to grab in a fight, and in a crowd she wouldn't be able to move as easily to disengage. She never wore her hair down when they were off the ship. It was safe for her to do so aboard the Sanguine though she doubted he'd even ask her to try anywhere else.

"Really," The murderer drew out the word slowly. "That's a pretty big prize Kitten. You butterin' me up?" He was teasing her, eager to see her dance, but still reluctant to let go of her. His mouth found her pulse point and nibbled on it and she moaned.

"Lack of food contributes to fatigue. Fatigue can erode her mental control," River explained a bit breathlessly. "She could begin to hear everything again." She didn't like exposing a weakness but the lack of sleep and food, combined with the physical exercise made it needful. Part of his attraction to her was based on her ability to keep up with him. She didn't like that her ability to do so could be compromised by lack of food or sleep.

"Gotcha," Riddick's mouth lingered on her throat but he loosened his grasp on her body. "Let's get goin' with this then." When she blinked at him, surprised at his capitulation the big man gave her a surprisingly gentle smile. "I got my senses, an' you got your mind. They both got downsides Kitten. You keep the whole boat set at dim lights 'cause a my eyes, keep your voice low and cater to me about soap and perfumes. Ain't gonna have your head hurtin' 'cause I was a selfish prick an' kept you in bed for the day."

"Reluctant to say anything," River murmured as he climbed out of the bed and found his discarded shorts from earlier. He threw her robe onto the bed before she could untangle herself from the sheets to grab it.

"Why's that?" Riddick moved back over to the bed as she pulled on her robe and began to pull the bed together. Every movement was methodical, purposeful, swift tugs on the lower sheet to pull it into place, tucking the upper sheet and quilts beneath the mattress edges after squaring them with the mattress. Pillows were punched into shape and placed against the headboard and the quilts and sheets folded over neatly. She'd been surprised at how neatly he kept his things when they'd begun their partnership. After a while she'd realized he took care of his belongings because in his life he'd had so few of them. He was possessive of his things, but he never hesitated to lend her something if she needed it. A surprising conundrum was her big partner. She'd made a point of finding things he'd like whenever they did salvage jobs, wanting him to enjoy their life aboard the ship. He treasured books more than clothing but when she'd found carving tools his eyes and mind had lit up with anticipation over what he'd be able to do with them.

"He likes that she can keep up with him," She told him softly as she tied the robe around her waist, still reluctant to expose her difficulties. For so long they'd been used against her and now, though he wouldn't use such weakness against her, he valued her strengths. She never wanted him to think he had to coddle her. Or worse, save her from her own stupidity. "Weakness implies that she can't."

That had him going still and she was shocked to feel absolute fury in his mind. "You really think that's the only reason I want you?" He growled the words at her, "That if you had problems I'd dump you?"

River shook her head; he'd completely misunderstood her, "No!" Her voice and body proclaimed the truth and Riddick relaxed minutely. "No. But she is…not Furyan. Diminutive. Weaker than he is. She has difficulties. Complicated past. Mercs on her neck. Problematic ex-crewmates… Riddick likes a simple life."

"I like the simple life with you," He emphasized the last word as he stalked closer to her. "Yeah you keep up. I like that. But I like you. How you are with me. I like how you are with Dog too. But if I was stuck in the sun without my goggles an' blind, I know you wouldn't dump me. Same goes for you. We're partners aren't we? And more now. Makes you miles more important. Not less."

River sighed; he was genuinely upset that she thought he'd dump her off. He would never have spoken so much if he wasn't, "I did not mean that you would drop me. Know you wouldn't. Trust you…but sometimes feel…weak. Compared to you. Smaller, not as strong, faster but without strength… and his stamina is greater. I'm still recovering from…" From being near starved on half rations and precious little rest for the entire time she'd been with Santana's crew. She didn't have to say it. He knew exactly why. Knew and hated that he couldn't do more to help her. She'd heard him more than once, plotting and planning ways to get more food for her, to find another doctor who could help her. He worried for her and he wasn't used to worrying about anyone. It was unsettling for him, poor man.

That sent all his anger rushing out of him like water through a sieve and he sighed, "Shit. Like you aren't the strongest woman I've ever known. Including that crazy bitch in our dreams. You ain't weak Kitten. Or if you are? Then I'm a fuckin' wimp."

She dropped her forehead so it touched his chest and took a deep breath of his skin. His scent, leather and wood, a touch of sandalwood from his soap, oil and metal all intensified with the salt of his sweat, filled her nose and relaxed her more than anything else in the 'verse. "He is the strongest man she has ever known. Mental and physical strength, cunning and quickness and compassion in his heart." In the back of her mind was the reminder of Shirah, that she was not Furyan, and she shoved it away. She had enough difficulties without that harpy infiltrating her waking thoughts.

"Well you're a core bred genius who can kill me with her brain," Riddick chuckled and she felt his mind as he shoved away his own fears of her growing bored with him. Or the worse fear that he'd make her unhappy somehow and she wouldn't stay with him. In his entire life no one had ever stayed. He'd lost everyone who ever mattered to him.

She thought of promising him that she would never leave him, but never was a long time. Not even she could see so far into the future as to promise that. She studied his strong handsome face and reached up to cup his jaw in her hand, "She does not ever wish to hurt him." River told him finally. She didn't want him to be afraid she'd leave, not for so paltry a reason as boredom. "She cannot conceive of growing tired of his company. He keeps up with her."

"Yeah," Riddick chuckled as her stomach growled again and kissed her quickly. "C'mon, you get something to eat started an' I'll throw the laundry in the dryer. It's been sittin' for a while now. Quick shower an' I'll come keep you company in the galley." He gave her a leer that sent a blush to her cheeks. That made him chuckle. "More'n a year with me an' you can still blush Kitten? Damn you are fuckin' perfect aren't you?"

Of course, that just made her blush even more. While he showered he was thinking of her, knowing she could hear his thoughts, he fantasized about having her in the shower, or outside in the rain. And when he came into the kitchen nothing changed, his warm smile just short of a leer as he came up behind her and rubbed against her body, pressing his mouth to her neck until she thought she might actually burn the food.

"Behave," She ordered him to the table with a laugh. "Or this will be ruined and you hate the smell of burnt protein." She was having a harder time than usual paying attention to her cooking, vividly conscious of his big muscular body and laughing silver eyes as he sat behind her at the table.

"I'll just sit here and let my mind work on everything I want to do with you Kitten." He drawled and proceeded to do just that until she was a blushing shivering mess bringing the food to the table.

Then he didn't let her sit in a chair, no, he wanted to cuddle her in his lap, tease and kiss her in between bites so she wondered if she'd be able to stand when the meal was done and how in the world she'd shower if she couldn't walk.

As if realizing his teasing was becoming too much for her Riddick kissed her cheek and began to ask about her schooling, what she'd learned and when, and how schools differed in the Core from the Rim and Border. And finally she could breathe and think clearly. Though her pink cheeks still delighted him, as his thoughts echoed his earlier words.

' _She's fuckin' perfect, wet for me and blushing over my teasing._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So they're talking some too, not just having sex. That's sort of progress right?
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> Tiān shā de (goddamn!)
> 
> bàng jiār (lover / partner)


	26. When You Depart From Me Sorrow Abides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never came trouble to my house in the likeness of your  
> Grace, for trouble being gone, comfort should remain, but  
> when you depart from me, sorrow abides and happiness  
> takes his leave.
> 
> -Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare

He'd made it a full week. Riddick looked at Dog and wondered what the animal made of all this craziness. A full week of his Kitten wrapped around him whenever they had a spare moment that wasn't involved with planning a job or flying the ship. Or sparring and working out, and in Kitten's case, careful katas and exercise designed to soothe nerves frazzled from hearing too much. He hadn't ever considered meditation but once she'd explained the principles of it he'd given it a try. It reminded him of what he did when he needed to concentrate, slowing your lungs and heartrate, purposefully relaxing body and mind until all the extraneous irritations fell away. It worked for her and even if he had his own way of dealing with too much input to his senses he respected her need for that routine.

She'd kept her word, danced for him once they'd eaten that first day. She'd gone to her room, changed into an athletic bra, tight little shorts and a skirt that floated around the tops of her thighs. The skirt didn't even cover her ass and it was sheer to boot. He'd been ready to grab her and haul her up for another marathon of sex and to hell with her keeping that particular bargain. But she'd just laughed at him and told him that she kept her promises.

She'd put some music on the intercoms, something in a foreign language similar to what he'd heard out on New Madrid, that sounded like swaying hips and teasing women. Kitten had arched an eyebrow at him and grinned before throwing herself into the dance.

He didn't really have the words for what it did to him. He'd never seen anything like it. She was grace embodied, hips twitching, arms fluttering and her entire body projecting the power of her sexuality. But it wasn't all sex. Any other woman it would have been like watching a stripper on a pole. Somehow Kitten made the dance look beautiful, like a temptation and a promise of affection rolled into one. As the singer trilled 'L'amour...' Kitten had swayed as if the words pulled at her hips. Any other dancer might have looked cheap. She'd looked exuberant; beautiful.

The music had ended on a long fluttering high note from the singer and she'd struck a pose with her hip jutting out, one hand flung in the air, the other resting on her hipbone. She was breathing hard, that kind of dance wasn't easy he guessed, but smiling triumphantly.

Riddick hadn't been able to stop himself. His shiv was out before he'd thought, moving towards her as her lungs heaved while she caught her breath. He caught her in his other arm, pressed her body against his and continued to move towards the wall.

She'd stared up at him, but she hadn't been afraid. He'd caught the fragrance of curiosity, pleasure and the beginnings of desire, all intensified with the salt of her sweat. Riddick lifted her against the wall and took her mouth. He kept her pressed there with his body while his hand moved over her, unable to keep from growling his need against her skin. Her desire had flooded his senses, his Kitten responding to his mouth and he'd forgotten any intentions he'd had of taking her back to bed. It would take too long.

What followed had ended up with them both panting and gasping, her bra cut off her body, the shorts made crotchless by his shiv. The only clothing she'd had intact afterwards had been her skirt and her toe shoes. He hadn't fared much better. Only his quick fingers had kept her from seizing another shiv and cutting his cargos off his body. As it was he'd lost a teeshirt to one of his own blades and her impatience.

"I don't mind," He told Dog as he finished moving things around on the shelf. "I'll pay for new clothes for her, and she'll buy me a new shirt. Worth it to have her like that."

Dog was sitting in the corner by the leather chair. He'd tried to curl up in the chair by himself but he was too big to fit in the seat comfortably. He was too big to be a lap dog anymore but that never stopped him from trying. That was a reason Riddick rarely used that chair anymore, the minute he sat in it Dog tried to climb into his lap. The second time he'd had his balls stomped on by a hand sized paw he'd given up on the chair. But the animal was sniffing the air with interest, tilting his head as he watched Riddick. Dog was almost as curious as a cat. And he was plainly trying to figure out what the convict was doing.

Riddick chuckled to himself. He'd kept a tight rein on his thoughts, hadn't thought about what he'd been doing at all. He'd thought of the cargo, when they'd arrive on Beaumonde, and of fucking her silly in the pilot's chair but he'd managed to keep what he was doing from Kitten's mind. He was going to come back to fucking her on the bridge though, because the idea of seeing her naked against the star scattered Black was too enticing to ignore.

He knew he'd managed it because she hadn't come to stop him. "She's gonna stay here," Riddick told Dog quietly. "I want her with me."

It had really started to drive him crazy, the way she'd go to her room when she was tired and wanted to sleep. That first day they'd both napped a bit after she'd danced and he'd let her shave him.

That had been an interesting experience. He didn't bother with razors, just used one of his shivs so he'd wondered how she would manage it. But she'd just smirked at him and gestured for him to sit at the galley table. A bowl of hot water, some soap and one of his shivs had been laid out and Kitten had pressed a shy, gentle, kiss to his mouth before she'd begun to work on him.

She was pretty good, he'd had to admit. A day and a half's worth of not shaving would usually leave him with an irritating amount of scruff on his face. Kitten had been careful and her slender fingers had coaxed him into moving one way or another so she could get a good angle with the blade.

It was an interesting feeling, being the object of her concentration. The scent coming off her was spicy and warm; she was so intent upon what she was doing. His little woman had damped a towel and wiped any excess soap off his face afterwards before she straddled him and ran her hands over his throat and face. He'd caught the scent of her need and dragged her closer, ignoring Dog who had been staring at them.

Her lips had pressed to his throat, her teeth closed over his jugular teasingly and he growled at her. She'd growled back, something that had him chuckling and his dick going even harder beneath her body. They'd nearly broken the galley chair that time, he'd heard the creak of its legs as Kitten had slammed her body down to his.

Dog seemed to have finally figured out his aim because the animal moaned and put his head down on his paws. "What?" Riddick looked at his pet. "I'm sick of this shit."

Every time. Every single fucking time she told him she was going to bed Kitten went to her own room. He could hear her, putting on the things she wore to sleep and climbing into bed. He could even hear her breathing slow as she succumbed to fatigue.

The first night he'd put up with it. It had itched at him something fierce but he'd dealt with not having her next to him in his bed. He'd figured she needed a rest from him, some space maybe. But in the morning when she was putting breakfast on he'd captured her mouth in a kiss and her moan had been pure need. He'd been able to smell that she was wet and ready. He'd fucked her against the supply lockers and the food had been mildly scorched but it had been worth it.

That night she'd kissed him, another shy sweet kiss, before she told him she was going to bed and he'd nodded. When she went down to her room he waited until he heard her climb into the bed before he went after her. He'd stripped down in the darkness of her room and climbed right into her bed beside her. She'd opened her eyes and stared at him and he'd had a half a second to wonder if he'd screwed up when she'd reached for him.

They'd had sex half the night and slept the other half and he'd woken up feeling like he was in too narrow a space. Her bed was smaller than his, just enough that he felt like he couldn't stretch. She'd been cuddled right up to him though. In his sleep he'd turned and wrapped an arm around her. His legs had tangled with hers and she'd been using his bicep as a pillow. She was soft and warm and worth the irritation of being in a too cramped space. He'd wondered if Kitten would be annoyed that he'd stayed the night with her. But she hadn't been. She'd given him a warm sleepy smile and kissed him. Then she'd gotten up to make breakfast and he'd simply rolled out of the bed, grabbed his shorts and followed her.

After that, he'd taken her to his room to sleep. Once he'd gone into her room and carried her back into his, a sleepy sweet smelling woman in his arms. But every morning when he woke up she was gone. He was really sick of waking up panicked because she wasn't with him. She had this sneaky way of slipping out of the bed that was extremely annoying because it didn't wake him up. He was still trying to figure out how she did it. He did not sleep like the dead, never had and he was usually holding her when they finally exhausted themselves enough to sleep. But she still managed to leave without waking him up.

He'd worried after the second night that he frightened her when she was asleep. He was pretty big and she was little and maybe he'd rolled on her when they were napping and scared her. That would explain why she wouldn't stay in bed with him, why she was always gone when he woke up. He'd broached the topic when it had occurred to him but that wasn't it. "I ain't rolled over on top a you at night or anything Kitten?" He'd asked as she'd worked on breakfast. He was busy dishing up Dog's food and keeping the big animal out of her way.

Kitten had done that little tilt of her head and her scent had gotten that twist to it that meant she was Reading him. Her smile had been blazing warm as she answered, "No. My _bàng jiār_ doesn't ever frighten me anymore."

She hadn't said anything more and at least he'd known she wasn't afraid of him. She never lied to him; that once the night before they'd become lovers had been the only time. If she didn't want to tell him something she told him so. But that was a rarity and had only happened a few times in their first year together. These days there wasn't much they didn't talk about. Past or present. She even knew about Abu and Jack and everything that had happened on that first nightmare planet. How he'd lost everyone there. He knew about the Academy and the surgeries they'd inflicted upon her, making her into a Reader. There wasn't any point in hiding things from each other. But she still kept leaving his bed and that he did not care for.

So he'd had enough. He'd lasted a week, a week of her leaving his bed or not going to it in the first place and he wasn't going to go another week like this.

Dog got up and left the room, presumably because he didn't want to be around for Kitten's explosive reaction. Riddick took one last look around the room, and decided he'd double check her old room to be sure he hadn't missed anything.

He hadn't. Nothing in the room held her scent except the bed. It was pretty much an office for her cortex work that happened to have a bed in it. That was fine with him and it had better be fine with her. If he had to he'd fuck her senseless and when she was dying to come he'd get her to agree. Enough was enough.

* * *

 

River wasn't quite sure what Riddick was up to. Her _bàng jiār_ had been keeping his thoughts on the cargo or Beaumonde or sex with a single-mindedness that made her suspicious. Riddick was many things, stubborn as a mule, intelligent and talented, cunning and brilliant, the consummate chess player, but he did not think on cargo for three solid hours without some other reason.

It was rare that he would block his thoughts from her. Most of the time, if she heard what he was thinking, Riddick didn't care. The only things he'd ever tried to hide were his thoughts of his attraction to her. Even that was against his inclination, but he'd done his best because she'd been so fragile the first half year they'd partnered with each other. For her he'd tried his best to stifle his urges. It was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done, or tried to do, for her.

The Reader smiled to herself, if his thoughts hadn't concerned sex or fantasies of her, Riddick's attitude about her hearing his thoughts had boiled down to very few words. 'Fuck it if she can't take a joke'. In his opinion if she couldn't handle his everyday thoughts then that was her problem. It wasn't like she hadn't gotten a good idea of what he was like on Not Furya.

Even when he was whoring or picking up women in bars he hadn't even considered hiding his thoughts from her. In the beginning he'd been a little concerned after the fact, but she hadn't minded him being lustful over other women. Riddick never saw people as things, he knew people were people. She nearly grinned. Undoubtedly, he'd growl something about people being things'd be a _tiān shā de_ sight more convenient and why the fuck was he talking about this anyway? If she ever brought it up that was.

Riddick didn't like constraints of any fashion; that had been made abundantly clear on more than one occasion. And restraining his mind was just as difficult for him as controlling what he called his Animal. It wasn't that he lacked discipline. He'd proven over the past year and some months that he had exquisite control over his thoughts and actions. But freedom of thought and movement and speech were what he valued most in the 'verse. That he was willing to forgo even the smallest amount of freedom in his mind was something above any tangible value to her.

She hadn't been able to explain it to him yet, just what it had done to her to be considered a thing for so long. That she'd half expected to be hearing sexual fantasies and running commentary over her looks and possible skills in his mind regardless of thrown objects, fists or pinching fingers. But Riddick, once she'd been on the boat with him, alone in the Black… Once he'd caught the scent of her fear when he'd been gazing at her breasts… Riddick had throttled his thoughts down with a ruthless unconcern for his own desires. He'd given her a nod in silent apology and concerned himself with the shiv he was sharpening. She'd been able to explain that it hadn't been him she was afraid of, that being looked at with desire had reminded her of something else. Thankfully his own bolstered senses told him that she'd been speaking the truth. At times he'd seemed bewildered by her trust in him.

And now... now she was so enamored of him, grateful beyond words that he'd let her heal. And thrilled beyond measure that his attraction and liking of her had never truly left him. Stifled those thoughts might have been but he'd still had them about her.

That didn't mean he was in love with her. It didn't even really mean he wanted her around all the time. They were friends. They'd been friends for a good long while and she didn't want to, in Riddick's words 'take this shit to FUBAR and back', by assuming too much. She'd heard Jayne complaining about clingy overly emotional women often enough on Serenity so she'd taken that as a measuring point and only stayed as long as she dared in Riddick's bed.

Those were some of her favorite times, when they fell asleep together, his body wrapped around hers. Sometimes she'd end up sprawled on top of him with his arms around her waist. No matter what she never wound up underneath him, he was careful of that even in sleep. But she didn't want to face him in the morning. Didn't want to wake and see any irritation over her continued presence in his bed. It would just about kill her if she ever felt that from him, at least regarding them sleeping together. So she slipped away.

It took every trick she'd learned at the Academy and some she'd picked up from Jayne and Kaylee over the years. But she'd managed to maneuver and slide her way out of his arms each night of the last five days and return to her own lonely bed. River restrained a sigh. She had no business wanting so much from him. Riddick liked her well enough but now that they were 'sexin'' as Jayne would say, she had to be careful to not push him too far. Or it could be over before it truly began.

Jayne had taught her a little about tracking and the way of it was to move slowly and not spook the game you were hunting. Too much too soon could drive Riddick off. She wanted so much from him but he didn't admit to having feelings much less sharing them with her. He wouldn't even think about feelings. She didn't blame him, well not much. Whenever he'd gotten even semi-attached to someone that person had ended up dead, usually in a violent fashion. He'd nearly lost Dog on Not Furya and that had rattled his nerves more than he liked to admit. He wasn't eager to embrace the kind of pain emotions would leave him with if he considered having a heart again. So far he'd been spectacularly successful at denying that he possessed any emotion more tender than rage.

River looked at the cortex and began to double check their course. Now and then the ship got touchy and drifted a little. Something in the thrusters needed calibration most likely. Between that and the drift different stars caused every ship needed adjustments to the course now and then. A small course correction and they were back on track for Beaumonde. And if she didn't stop thinking about Riddick and his supposedly nonexistent feelings and/or heart she'd go crazy or get depressed.

She heard Dog paw at the door to the bridge and turned to slide it open for him. "What is he doing back there?" She shook her head as Dog laid his head in her lap, "Seriously. He's hiding what he's doing. Am I going to like this?"

Dog just sighed in her lap and looked up at her with a pleading gaze. Those big begging eyes could mean anything from wanting a treat to Riddick being furious and in need of calming. Dog didn't get unnerved by much but Riddick had told her after she'd been shot the animal had hidden from him under River's bed while she recuperated from the wound. Apparently he'd been in that bad of a mood. Dog hadn't helped by climbing onto the couch to snuggle against her when she had a fever.

That argued for him liking her at least somewhat, she argued with herself. But he'd never said anything regarding that. She'd learned a long time ago that thoughts and emotions were changeable, like the wind and just as hard to use as a measurement of actions. Riddick was one of the few people whose thoughts generally agreed with his words. Genius Reader she might be but she couldn't work miracles and force him to consider what she was to him.

"All right," River switched the autopilot on and logged herself off the bridge before patting Dog's head so he'd move. "Let's go see what he's up to."

Dog wagged his tale as he led the way down the hall. River looked in Riddick's room but he wasn't there. Dog was still looking at her expectantly so she unlocked the door to the hallway to her room and the passenger quarters. When her door was unlocked she looked inside and blinked. Her books and cortex equipment were in their places, untouched. But the weapons rack above her bed was empty. A few steps towards the dresser revealed empty drawers and the surface was bare. Her brush and the comb he'd carved for her were gone. So were her other feminine oddments, the little jar for her hair pins, the bottle of lotion for her feet and her oil of jasmine.

"What did he do?" River looked at Dog who gave her the equivalent of a canine shrug before he turned away from her door. River frowned in annoyance and followed him before she opened Riddick's door again and took a closer look at the wall above his bed. Her sword and axe hung there in places of honor. Her knives and guns were placed within her arms reach if she were to sleep in the bed.

His dresser held her brush and comb along with her jars and bottles. And jerking open a drawer found her belongings beside his. "That _hún dàn gǒu niáng yǎng de_ ," She cursed as she slammed the drawer shut. How was she supposed to keep her distance and give him the space he needed if she was living with him? What was he thinking? Had he been thinking at all?

This was a disaster. He clearly hadn't thought it all the way through. He'd hate having to share his space so much. Riddick never liked people so close he was tripping on them. Too much light and too many people made him feel closed in and edgy. It was part of why they never went near the Core. He was just thinking of sex and hadn't considered the other ramifications.

How could he do this to her? Wasn't it difficult enough for her to keep her distance? She'd love to live with him, but it would only lead to trouble for her. It was bad enough she had such intense feelings for him. If she shared a room and bed with him then her emotions would only grow stronger. And Shirah might be a _jiàn huò_ but she was correct about River not being Furyan, not being the woman Riddick would need in the long run. It seemed inevitable that Riddick would eventually grow bored with her. He was used to experienced, beautiful, voluptuous women throwing themselves at him. And when he did become bored or needed his space leaving would be doubly hard.

He'd done it without even asking her. Without so much as a 'Hey waddaya think a this?' The big lummox hadn't even hinted that he wanted her to share his quarters. But after a week of having sex he'd just taken over and moved her into his room. He had no idea what this was doing to her. Well she'd just have to set him straight about his high-handed behavior. Beautiful, ignorant, sāo lǘ of a man. River almost growled as she wondered again what in the 'Verse he'd been thinking.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Soo…their first fight? These two really need to stop assuming they know what the other one is thinking or feeling. Trying to use their prior parameters of a relationship when they've started something completely new obviously isn't working. We'll see if they manage to get this little mess straightened out next time.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> bàng jiār (lover / partner)
> 
> tiān shā de (goddamn)
> 
> hún dàn gǒu niáng yǎng de (bastard son of a bitch)
> 
> jiàn huò (bitch)
> 
> sāo lǘ (jackass)


	27. Of One That Lov'd Not Wisely But Too Well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I pray you, in your letters,  
> When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,  
> Speak of me as I am. Nothing extenuate,  
> Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak  
> Of one that loved not wisely, but too well.  
> Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought,  
> Perplexed in the extreme.
> 
> -Othello, William Shakespeare

She strode down the hall to find him lifting at the weight bench, "How dare you!" She snapped at him angrily. River folded her arms and tapped her foot waiting for him to put the barbell on the rack and pay attention to her. It was easy enough to Read that he could smell her fury in the scent blazing off her skin. Good. She wouldn't have to rely on body language to get her point across. What in the _tā mā de dì yù_ had he been thinking? When he finally set the barbell down River waited until he'd sat up and then poked him hard in the chest. "What is wrong with you? What were you thinking?"

"I was thinkin' that I'm fuckin' sick of you not sleepin' with me," Riddick snarled at her. He looked over at Dog, "Didja wait five minutes 'fore you went an' told? Snitch." Dog moaned and bumped her hip affectionately. Dog's affection had the tendency to put her off balance though and River took a half step forward before she stopped herself from moving anymore.

"I sleep with you every night," The Reader countered as she stared at him. He was so irritated she couldn't tell what his motive had actually been. Whatever, she nearly snorted her annoyance, she was irritated too and she hadn't done something monumental without asking.

"No, you fuck me every night an' then you sneak out an' sleep in your own room," Riddick corrected her bitterly. "Like I'm good enough for a ride but God for-fuckin'-bid you sleep next to me."

"That isn't—" How had she gotten put on the defensive, River wondered. He'd moved all her things into his room without even asking but he was mad at her? Here she was trying to not box him in, trying to give him space and he was angry about it? And he was angry; he was sincerely upset about her perceived reluctance to sleep beside him, she could feel it his emotions were so strong.

"The fuck it isn't what you were thinkin'," The convict growled at her. "Like I don't know that I ain't good enough for you. But I want you with me. Want you in that bed with me. Want you next to me." He started to lie back down, "Fuck it. If you don' wanna live with me, fine. But you can move it all back your own fuckin' self."

River stared at him and wondered how she hadn't even noticed that he wanted this. "I didn't know you wanted me there," She offered softly. "I always heard...men don't like needy women." Truly she had no idea what she was doing. Riddick had said he might screw up their relationship but she'd failed to warn him she had precious little experience in this area herself. She hadn't wanted to hurt him. She'd just been trying to protect herself from the inevitable.

"If I didn't want you there woulda taken you to your room, fucked you silly an' then got up an' left," He told her flatly. "Brought you to my room 'cause I wanted you in my bed. Told you the first day that I wanted to think about you being there. I didn't mean just for then. Like hearin' you breathe, the scent of you. Hell, I really thought about dragging my feet getting our separate rooms set up because it felt so _gāi sǐ_ good to have you close."

"I...didn't know," She twisted her hands in front of her and practically felt his gaze sharpen and fix on her nervous fingers. "I've never... You know I've never... I don't know what to do," She almost wailed. "I really don't. I thought that giving you your own space was the right thing. I didn't think you'd want me to be clingy. I didn't want to push you into letting me stay by asking." And she'd wanted to protect her heart as much as she could. Though after hearing him state so forcefully that he wanted her with him, she doubted that was possible anymore. She couldn't say no to him, not to this.

"You known me for more than a year Kitten," Riddick rolled his eyes at her. "When've I ever done what I didn't want?"

"Never?" River tilted her head contemplatively.

"Yeah," He nodded and sat up again. "And I get that you're pissed I didn't ask. But you already know me. I don't ask. Hell, I was on my best behavior that first evenin' lettin' you go back to your room. Had to stop myself least five times durin' the night from goin' to your room. Figured you needed some rest."

"Riddick what do you want? If you want me to sleep with you...I mean sleep not sex," She clarified and found herself on the other side of a wicked smirk. "I can do that. We don't have to share quarters for that."

"I want you to live with me," Riddick snapped explosively. "I want you next to me when I wake up. I want your stuff next to mine an' I want to watch you take down your hair at night. I wanna be able to wake you up if you're havin' a nightmare." He looked at her surprised face and sighed, "I don't do what I don't want. I moved alla your stuff into my room because it's got the bigger bed. But if you feel safer behind two locked doors, not one, we can take my bed apart an' move it into your bunk."

River shook her head, "Waste of labor when Riddick has already done such a good job allocating space for her things." She sighed and moved over to the weight bench to straddle his thighs. "Will he forgive her?"

"For what?" He looked honestly puzzled.

River smiled, "She hurt him and did not know it." Her palms splayed over his muscular chest and she felt more than heard the groan that vibrated through him. "Please forgive her ignorance. Thought you would want space. She has never been in a relationship." Best to not mention her believe that eventually he wouldn't want her anymore. In his current mood he would not take that particular theory well at all. And then there would be more yelling, which was the last thing she wanted.

"Well that makes two of us," Riddick sat up and his arms banded around her waist. His mouth came down on hers fiercely, hot lips and tongue devouring her before he spoke, "I'll forgive you for bein' silly an' thinkin' I didn't want you except for sex. You still mad I moved you in without askin'?"

River shook her head, "No. She is...grateful he took the initiative. And appreciative of the placement of our weapons."

"Hmm..." Riddick was plainly not thinking of weapons at the moment, except the one between his legs. "C'mon. We don't move I'll fuck you right here. Then I won't be able to use the damn bench without gettin' a hard on."

River hadn't been able to stop giggling at the thought and Riddick had to scoop her up and carry her to their room. Just to tease her he hung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and kept his hand on her _pì gu_ the entire way. She had an excellent view of Dog's puzzled face over this new method of travel. His expression did not help to stifle her laughter any.

* * *

 

Riddick kept one hand on Kitten's sweet ass while he pulled the coverlet of his bed back. She was still giggling and she smelled like need and amusement. He hadn't ever thought the two scents would blend well but somehow, he liked them on his woman. The convict lifted her off his shoulder easily and set her slender form down on the bed. "Clothes off. Now," He growled. He was dying to get inside her, too far gone to be gentle with words and actions.

As he watched her, her hands dragged off her soft shoes and began to work on her cargo pants. For a moment he wished she'd just wear skirts on the ship, he could deal with skirts easily enough. Then he remembered the skirt she'd been wearing when he'd met her, how torn to rags it had been, and the fact that she hadn't had panties on under it. That was explanation enough for why his little woman didn't wear skirts. Riddick tore off his work out tank and stripped off the cargo shorts he wore while she was still pushing off her pants.

"Takin' way too long," He muttered and began to work on the buttons of her shirt. Kitten shivered as he pulled the shirt open. She shrugged it off and threw it after her pants and Riddick nearly groaned at the sight of her sitting on his bed in nothing but a little pale bra and panties. "Fuck me blind," The growl was almost preverbal as he dragged the panties down her legs. She reached behind her back and unhooked the bra and Riddick pulled it off her arms impatiently.

He wanted her under him, wanted to feel her legs around his waist, her body arching up to his as he pounded into her. Riddick slid his hands down her body to her waist and thighs and parted her legs so he could stand between her knees. Her hands fluttered in the air between them before they settled on his chest and began to stroke over his abdomen and up to his pectorals. "Riddick," Her voice was the sweetest sound in his ears.

She was looking up at him, her pretty face curious and filled with warmth as her dark eyes met his. And he couldn't stand it anymore, he had to touch, had to kiss and taste every bit of her. "Yeah," He put his hands on her waist and moved her so she was centered on the bed before he followed her. His pretty little Kitten was pulling out her hairpins for him and setting them on the shelf over the bed. Riddick groaned and moved so he was kneeling behind her. One by one he found the rest of the pins and began to unwind her braids. The scent of her hair had to be the sweetest thing to ever hit his nose. Loose and rippling from the braids it fell over his hands and arms before he moved to kneel between her thighs again.

She wasn't afraid. He was always alert for the sticky smell of Kitten's fear but so far he wasn't scaring her. She'd stayed sitting up and her hands slid down to his cock, stroking and tugging at his hard and ready flesh and teasing his balls. He couldn't stop the near moan of pleasure that rose in his throat at the feel of her fingers on his skin. And he couldn't stand to not touch her anymore. He finally planted his hands on either side of her shoulders and knelt over her. The feel of her lips under his was exquisite as he held the weight of his body off her.

Her gasp wasn't fearful, a bit of surprise and a lot of lust surged into her scent and Riddick absolutely loved the way her lips and tongue began to nibble and suck on his mouth. He could feel her, squirming on the bed, desperate to feel his body and smirked against her mouth. There was no way he was going to climb on top of her and press down until she wanted it. He hated the space between them but she had to want him on top of her before he'd go that far.

She moaned into his mouth and her hands stroked over his chest and shoulders. Then her legs wrapped around his lower thighs where he knelt between her knees and she tried to pull her body closer to his. Riddick felt his heart stutter and then triple its beat as Kitten attempted to drag his body down to hers. God! He wanted that, wanted to feel her writhing under him, twisting and squirming with the pleasure he'd give her.

The skin of her cheek and jaw was soft, smooth under his mouth and he inhaled sharply at the gorgeous scent of her. He trailed his lips over her neck, found her pulse point and laved it with his tongue before he set his teeth over it and nipped her gently. The gasp of bliss that escaped her lips was perfect; the little mewling cry of need when he moved to her collarbone was like music.

Her hands flattened over his pectoral muscles and he groaned against her skin as her fingers found his nipples, her thumbs rubbing over them teasingly. Riddick growled against her skin, slid his hands closer to her sides and let his own thumbs rub against the curves and undersides of her breasts. Those soft sweet curves were swollen with need; the tips budded painfully tight and desperate for his touch. Her body wanted the feel of his against her, hot skin against skin and he was growing desperate for that himself.

He could smell her need, almost taste it on her skin as he moved his mouth down her chest towards her breasts. She was panting as he moved lower; her hips undulated against his legs. One of her hands left his chest and wrapped around his dick. Her fingers slid up and down his flesh and Riddick growled again. He was not going to lose control and just take her, no matter how crazy she was making him. When his mouth closed around her nipple she keened with need and he grinned around her flesh.

Kitten always responded so passionately. Her hand flew from his chest to the back of his neck; her fingers flexed against his skin and gripped, holding his mouth to her breast. In response to her near desperate grip Riddick laved her tight flesh with his tongue and felt it soften in his mouth. He'd learned in the last week that her skin was terribly sensitive; he couldn't begin with his teeth. But later when she'd begun to go mad with desire, she'd welcome his teeth and hard hands. She never cared about bruises from his mouth, or marks from his teeth afterwards.

And goddamn did she taste good in his mouth. He could feel the tension wind tighter through his body as he sucked gently on her flesh and then slowly increased the pressure of his mouth. She was gasping when he turned his attention to her other breast and gave it the same treatment. Careful, languorous pulls of his mouth and strokes of his tongue to her sweet flesh until he was groaning his need over her skin. Kitten gave a gasping cry and her legs tightened around his, trying to pull him closer.

He stayed above her though, kept his body from pressing down on her slender frame and moved further down her body. His hands slid to her hips, cupped her body in his hands, and his fingers wrapped around the sweet curves of her ass. Riddick bent down again, pressed his mouth to her belly and began to kiss his way down to her clit.

She always tasted so good, sweet and spicy, a hint of tang to her juices and he could lick and devour her for hours. Her whimpers of need, cries of his name, and the feel of her hands on his head and shoulders, clutching at him desperately, were nothing less than perfection to his senses. The convict shuddered, felt his entire body tense even more as Kitten came under his mouth with a wail of his name.

It took all of his will to not cover her body with his and push his cock deep inside. She was shuddering from his efforts when Riddick rose over her and knelt to hold his chest away from hers as he had before. This time when he bent to kiss her Kitten wrapped her arms around his body and tried to tug him down on top of her.

He couldn't let her succeed though, not entirely. As slowly as he could bear he brought his hips lower and finally let them press to hers. Riddick groaned at the feel of her, his body barely brushing against hers, his cock rubbing over her mound and belly. He didn't dare use his hips to hold her down. He wasn't sure he could stand to smell her fear twist through her scent now. Not when she smelt so beautiful, filled with desire and affection for him.

Her gasp when his hips met hers was one of pleasure though. And then her legs wrapped around his waist until her heels were pressing down on his ass. He kept his upper body propped up on his elbows though; his arms were more than long enough to keep his chest from pushing down on Kitten's. He was close enough that he could simply dip his mouth down to kiss her though. And that was something he was more than happy enough to do.

"Riddick," Her moan was almost preverbal as she undulated beneath him. The feel of her squirming to get closer, her hands and arms wrapped around him trying to pull him down, was absolutely exquisite. He groaned and kept kissing her, his mouth roving over her face, neck and shoulders. He found her breasts again and she nearly shrieked with need as he licked and sucked on her stiff nipples.

By the time he judged her ready her thighs and mound were slick with her juices. His balls were damp from rubbing against her skin. And he felt as if he'd explode if he didn't push inside her soon. Still, he had to be careful, drawing his hips back and positioning himself between her thighs. She surprised him again, raising her knees and opening for him completely, the head of his cock rubbing over her slit.

The heat of her was better than anything he'd ever felt. As if her body hungered for his just as much as his did for her. Riddick looked at her, caught her gaze in his and watched as he slowly pressed inside her body. Her breath caught, her body trembled hotly, but the only scent in his nose was her need even as he sheathed himself fully within her. Carefully he rotated his hips and she cried out again, an explosion of damp sweet heat around his prick a pointed clue that his woman was being fully pleasured.

Her legs wrapped around his hips, her heels locked together and pressing on his ass, pulling him deeper. And he couldn't resist anymore. Her hands cupped his face before sliding to his shoulders and pulling him down so his lips met hers. How she could think to speak was beyond his understanding but he could hear her clearly, "Yes. Fuck me. Hard and good. Make me fall for you. Show me how good it is this way. My Riddick."

He almost lost control. The need and desire that swarmed over him was beyond anything he'd ever felt. She trusted him. Trusted him to show her that this wasn't the terrifying position she believed it was. Trusted him to give her pleasure, to not hurt her. He'd never had anyone look at him like that. Never had anyone trusted him that way. He kissed her, promised her wordlessly that he would take care of her. He wasn't ever going to hurt her, would never give her a reason to fear him.

He rotated his hips again and lowered his chest slightly so his skin brushed against hers. Her moan filled his mouth and Riddick kept kissing her as he carefully covered her body with his. It wasn't easy to keep his body in check, to saw slowly back and forth inside his Kitten while she writhed in passion under him. He groaned as her body tightened around him, pulsing erotically as her pleasure built again.

One of his hands slid beneath her back, holding her body closer and her arms tightened around him. As he struggled to keep his pace steady Kitten's hands stroked up his spine and caressed his neck and scalp. His breathing stuttered as he felt her passion spiraling through her drawing him in deeper, tighter and setting his blood to burn even hotter.

He could feel it, crawling over his skin, through his veins and eroding his control. He was groaning into her mouth, matching her moans and wordless cries. His breath was coming in gasps now, pressure building in his spine. He fought it off, pushed the need back, growled with the effort it took to wait for her. She had to come before him. He had to wait. And he was terrified he couldn't. He would lose control, let her down, frighten her and prove that he was no better than the mercs.

Then she cried out, screamed into his mouth and he felt her body twist tight around his and throb with moisture. She was soft and hot and perfect as she came around him. And then his blood ignited and the explosion shot through him like the Wrath itself. He was shouting into her mouth, drowning in her screams as her body shook and vibrated and came around him again.

He groaned as the final wracks of pleasure shook through him and she clutched him close to her body. It took every ounce of strength he had to not collapse. He was pretty sure that would be bad for her. And not only in the not breathing way. Finally, he pushed himself up on his elbows and let his lips linger over his Kitten's mouth.

Her eyes were sleepy and warm as he looked down at her. "You all right," He couldn't smell any fear or pain or any other sort of disquiet but it was better to ask.

"Showed me that being on my back doesn't mean I'll be hurt," Her fingers stroked over his scalp down to his face. "Only pleasure with you Riddick. Always only pleasure with you."

"Good." He kissed her hard on the mouth and rolled so she was sprawled on top of him. His hands must have hit one of her rare ticklish spots because she couldn't stop giggling. With a pleased sigh she settled against him and he felt her body relax. Then it hit him that she was actually going to stay, she wouldn't get up and got to her own room this time. Her hand stroked over the hand print on his chest and he groaned.

"You're a fuckin' witch," Riddick groaned and pulled her up so she was on top of him. She touched him and he was hard and ready for her again. But she smiled down at him and her hair fell over her shoulders and he'd never seen anyone so beautiful. Kitten was in his bed, his woman, and that was what mattered at the moment.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I won't say this is the last time they have a misunderstanding. Because they're never done this before. But maybe they'll learn to talk things out instead of leaping to assumptions? We can only hope.
> 
> I feel bad for Dog. When mom and dad fight it sucks to be the one in the middle.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> tā mā de dì yù (fucking hell)
> 
> gāi sǐ (damned)
> 
> pì gu (butt)


	28. Do Not Draw Back, For We Will Mourn With Thee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Come, let us go, and make thy father blind;  
> For such a sight will blind a father's eye:  
> One hour's storm will drown the fragrant meads;  
> What will whole months of tears thy father's eyes?  
> Do not draw back, for we will mourn with thee  
> O, could our mourning ease thy misery!
> 
> \--Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare

The docks on Beaumonde were chaotic, noisy, and smelt like a burning factory combined with ships exhaust and human effluvia. Since the smog of Beaumonde was so thick the sky could barely be seen it was no surprise the docks were just as bad in their own way.

A little over two weeks in the Black, alone and without any worries other than making sure the _Sanguine_ didn’t go off course had done wonders for both he and Kitten. They hadn’t been so relaxed since…well ever really. At least not since they’d met. He grinned at the dinosaur on the console and looked up as Kitten entered the small bridge. “All set?”

“Cargo is tagged for offloading,” Kitten nodded as she took her place in the co-pilot’s chair. “Dog is in your, our, room.” She keyed up the specs for the job on the cortex and slid them over to his screen. “Twins say they might have a job for us. But they are…squirrelly. Again.”

Riddick rolled his eyes. This was the second job they’d done for the twins and the Ramples were rapidly exceeding all others, including Patience, as the most irritating employers they’d had. “What’re they on about now?”

“They want faster delivery,” Kitten shrugged. “Talking about reducing our percentage by ten if we can’t do the job and bring their share of the take back in five days.”

“They know what we fly,” Riddick thought that over. “Where’s the job?”

“Out on Kerry,” Kitten made a face. “Good hunting, but if they want the take in five days, unless we push the engines past Knorr standards we won’t have time for anything but the job.”

Riddick nodded his agreement with her summation, “So they’re trying to see how much they can push us around. Which is what they’d think they can do if we agree, since we don’t want it known we’ve upgraded _Sanguine’s_ engines.”

“ _Háo qiáng_ tactics,” She regarded the specs of the job thoughtfully. “Reluctant to capitulate. Even though the take is good. Robbing a security company’s payroll.”

Riddick considered, “Didn’t your old crew pull a job like that for them?” He thought she’d mentioned that somewhere along the line.

“Did, out on Lilac,” She was Reading something, and her eyebrows rose, fingers tapping the keyboard quickly. “Ah…” Kitten sat back and smirked. “Time is of the essence. Others in competition for the same job.”

“So it ain’t just them being dicks,” He looked at the new information. “The information’ll get out and we’ll get squat if we don’t push on it.”

“But still would have three more days than the twins want to insist upon,” Kitten tapped the screen. “Suggest we tell them we can do it in seven and will try to shave it to six. But no guarantees. Can’t push an engine past its limits or we’re on the drift. Gives us time to do the job, hunt, and return.”

“Sounds good to me,” Riddick nodded. “Let’s get the cargo offloaded and we’ll head down to that bar they favor.” He looked at her, “They ain’t changed the meet to that place you busted up when you got triggered?”

“No,” She smirked. “Bad memories associated with the Maidenhead. Despite the gun check. Don’t think they’ve been back since.  Can't imagine why."

* * *

 

The Rample twins were always a headache, and not just because Beaumonde itself was headache inducing. The twins insisted upon finishing each other sentences and going off on conversational tangents. They thought they were charming about it but truthfully Badger was more charming. He was usually more straight with them too. The twins were twisty in their thoughts and words. “Think this is the last job from the twins for a while,” Riddick commented echoing her own thoughts as they walked back to the ship. They’d gotten the seven days they’d decided upon but the twins had been irksome throughout the entire negotiation.

“Agreed,” River nodded. “Being more irritating than usual.” She moved closer to him to avoid an oncoming passerby and Riddick’s arm snugged around her waist, drawing her against his side.

“Yeah,” He was considering their options. “Guess we could look around a bit more. Got that fella on Beylix seems to like usin’ us for his runs. Could always see about makin’ it a regular thing.”

“Hmm…” River nodded and stiffened as she felt eyes on her. Not just the eyes of the crowd, many and impersonal, drifting over her and away. Not even someone lusting for her. Someone had found her. Someone who knew her.

“Kitten, what is it?” Her _bàng jiār_ had felt her tension against him and drew her closer, out of the throng of people towards a building. The sensation of being watched dissipated and then increased again.

“Someone… has found the girl,” River whispered. “Eyes… on her. Eyes that know her.”

“ _Nǐ tā mā de tiān xià suǒ yǒu de rén dōu gāi sǐ_.” Riddick cursed, “Niska’s people? Or yours? Or mercs?”

“Can’t tell… not hostile… but… pleased… can’t tell if it’s out of greed or affection.” She shook her head trying to narrow it down, the press of people around her making it difficult. And opening her mind up to find out could incapacitate her, again because of the crowded docks.

“Right, we’re outa here,” Riddick made a decision and scooped her up. “You keep an eye out, I’ll do the running.” He didn’t wait for an answer, just charged out into the crowd, running flat out and dodging people as if he sprinted through the docks every day.

They weren’t far from the _Sanguine_ , and she felt his relief when they arrived at the ship, keying in the codes and jerking the door open to set her inside. The relief turned to blinding fury at the sound of a voice drawling behind him.

“You don’t wanna end up fulla holes you’ll turn around and let her outa there.” Mal’s voice was deceptively relaxed

Riddick’s curse was pungent and to the point as he turned, putting his body between hers and the gun, “ _Gao yang jong duh goo yang_.” She could hear the sneer in his voice, “If you think bullets are any threat to me you don’t know what you’re dealin’ with.”

“Figure you got body armor on,” Zoe’s cool tones were unwelcome and Riddick growled at her. River forced herself to breathe, her hand fisted in her partner’s shirt at the base of his spine. “Bullet to your head’ll drop you right quick.”

“You think you got rights to her?” River could feel the red that wanted to drop over Riddick’s eyes at the sound of the First Mate’s voice. “You? The one who blames her for everything bad that happened to you? Called her a thing? The one so hateful she nearly collapsed?” Furyan wrath was pulsing through his voice, vibrating through his chest, and she tugged on his shirt as a reminder that she was behind him, safe. It was the only thing that kept his anger in check. “Strongest woman I ever met an’ she damn near went to pieces because of you. _Pū jiē_!”

“I’m tellin’ you, you let us see her, talk to her, or you will end up riddled with holes,” Mal was losing patience.

Riddick wasn’t much better, “She is my partner. My woman. And I’m not gonna let you hammer at her brain until she’s cryin’ and exhausted with all the crap you’re spewin’ out at her,” He snarled back.

“Please,” That voice. There was no way that voice could be speaking. “Please… I just… I haven’t seen her… It’s been… It’s been almost three years… She’s my sister.”

Riddick’s surprise near equaled her own, she sagged against his back in relief and shock as he spoke, “Well shit. You know she thinks you’re dead?”

* * *

 

Kitten had nearly collapsed against him and he didn’t dare turn his back on her old crew to wrap his arm around her waist to steady her. “It is all right,” She pressed against his back and her soft fingers patted his shoulder. “Let them on,” She paused and huffed a soft laugh, listening to his thoughts. “Yes, even the _jiàn huò_.”

“Yeah,” He turned his head slightly, keeping one eye on the guns and slanted a quick look at her. “You sure?”

“She is sure. Unlocking the doors now.” She was still pressed to his back, but he could feel her reaching for the datapad in its slot.

“Right,” Riddick eyed the slender dark-haired man with the vest and doctor’s bag. He walked with a slight limp and smelled of plastic and steel. “She says ya’ll can come aboard. But I’m warnin’ you. You upset her, mess with our boat… this is the only warning you get. I protect what’s mine.”

“And she’s yours, is she?” The man wearing the long coat didn’t seem altogether pleased with that notion.

Riddick glared at him, “Yeah. She is.” He put his back to them and moved into the airlock, hitting the button for the ramp to come down, watching as Kitten’s old crew gathered around the _Sanguine_. “So, if you’re coming on, get on, we’ve got a job to do and we don’t got all _tiān shā de_ day.”

He looked at Kitten, “Maybe go on up and let Dog out? He’ll have heard us an’ he’ll be goin’ nuts.”

Kitten laughed quietly, a bit strained sounding but genuine enough, “Hopefully hasn’t chewed another pillow to bits.”

“Idiot’ll be crapping feathers and foam for weeks if he did,” Riddick shook his head and looked at the party of five people at the base of the ramp. “Well? On or off. We gotta head out to Kerry once we’re done with you.”

The doctor didn’t hesitate, walking straight up to the ramp and nodding at him, “Which way?”

“Straight back through the bay, up the steps. You come out in the common area,” Riddick told him in a slightly more polite tone than he’d used before. The man nodded and continued on, his step eager even through the slight limp. The only other girl of the crew, a curvy woman in coveralls with a teddy bear on the knee followed him and the hulking brute with the goatee and more guns than anyone needed outside of a war zone was right behind her.

The last two, the ones that just had to be Reynolds and Washburne, hesitated and he folded his arms. “On or off. You got about fifteen seconds to decide before I close her up. I ain’t leavin’ the boat open while you debate.”

That got them moving and he growled his annoyance as they passed him, shutting the ramp on the heels of the black woman and keying in the lock codes.

“Sophisticated setup you got there,” Reynolds commented from the inner doors.

“Yeah, it’s enough to keep the riff raff out,” Riddick pushed his goggles back and looked Reynolds up and down pointedly before adding, “Usually,” and stalked past the two interlopers, walking soundlessly across the grates of the deck and up the stairs.

Dog gave a woof of greeting when he showed his face and began his sniff inspection to make sure his important person was unchanged while Riddick patted him in reassurance. “So? What’s the damage?” He asked Kitten ignoring the three people sitting on the couch and the two coming up the stairs behind him.

“Was very good,” Kitten smiled, her nerves were tight in his nose but she was doing her best to act relaxed. “No chewing. No destruction. Snuggled against their pillows and quilt. Will need to change the bedding.”

“Well that we expected,” Riddick rubbed Dog’s ears and under his jaw. “Go on, ask Mama for dinner now.” He patted Dog’s flank and the big animal moved towards Kitten with a hopeful whine.

“Don’t call me his mama,” Kitten sniped back at him with a teasing grin. “Sounds all sortsa wrong.” She rubbed Dog’s side. “And yes, you may have dinner early, if you’re nice.” She pointed at her old crew, “Go say hello.”

Riddick pulled the container of Dog’s food down from the high cabinet where they hid it and waited until she’d scooped out a portion before putting it back while Dog sniffed the doctor, mechanic and gunhand curiously. The mechanic seemed cautious but curious, the doctor a bit wary and the gunhand was openly appreciative of Dog, offering his hand to sniff and gently patting him when Dog nudged his hand.

“Fine animal,” The big man commented. “Ain’t never thoughta you as a dog person Loony.”

Riddick bristled but relaxed as Kitten smiled and patted his arm, putting the bowl of food down and whistling for Dog. “Pet name. Noticed you don’t use my birthname. Trying to be polite,” She explained quietly. Kitten glanced around the room and pointed to each one. “Captain Malcolm Reynolds. Zoe Washburne, First Mate. Kaylee Frye, Ship’s Engineer. Simon Tam, Ship’s Doctor. Jayne Cobb, Senior Gunhand.”

He nodded politely but did not give his name. There’d be time enough for that later if he and Kitten could trust them with it.

“River…what…” The doctor spread his hands helplessly as Dog leapt towards his food bowl. Riddick kept a reassuring hand on her back and watched as Reynolds and Washburne took seats.

Kitten perched on the arm of the chair he favored and when he sat down, slipped into his lap to be held. She was painfully nervous, the scent sharp in his nose and he rubbed a hand up and down her spine soothingly.

“Guess what we’re wantin’ to know ‘Tross is why you took off ‘thout tellin’ a soul,” Reynolds asked the question that had to be on everyone’s mind.

“Didn’t want everyone to die,” Kitten said simply. “And you would have, had I not left when I did.” She shifted slightly, and Riddick sent a hard glare at Washburne.

“What’re you talkin’ about,” Reynolds just looked confused.

“She’s talkin’ about a vision. An actual precog, that told her just what would happen if she didn’t leave your boat in time,” Riddick held her close as he spat the words out at them. “Said the men would be dead, or bleeding out, the bitch with the attitude would be dead or taken as a slave. Your little mechanic and the kid you got, both taken as slaves, sold for whores.”

* * *

 

The silence that filled the galley was like the time between the lightning and the thunder, heavy with the promise of sound. And it didn’t disappoint.

Every one of _Serenity’s_ crew burst into speech, objecting, arguing, flat out denying what Riddick had said until Dog growled loudly, his hackles rising, his mood a match for Riddick’s.

River twisted in his lap and rubbed his shoulders, petting his skin gently, “She’s here. Not taken. Not hurt.” She soothed and nearly smiled when she Read her old crew realizing that not all the growling they heard was coming from the four-legged animal. Appalled, wary and curious were some of the most predominant emotions at the moment.

He nodded finally, his eyes molten silver as they looked down at her, “Just know it’s hard for you to say.” He explained quietly.

She nodded her understanding and turned to face her old crew again, “Blue Sun had hired mercs to find me, take me back. They wanted their weapon in the holster again.” She looked at Simon and drank in the sight of her brother, tired and older looking but so very alive. “I thought they’d killed you. I couldn’t think of it, couldn’t face the thought of you gone.”

Simon nodded his understanding, “I’m sorry. I… I did manage to get a tourniquet on my leg, but between the blood loss and lack of circulation I lost it below the knee. Jayne tracked me, if he hadn’t found me I would have bled to death in spite of the tourniquet. I’ve got a prosthetic now. And I function pretty well.” He drew back his trousers to expose the skin toned plastic. “Kaylee keeps it in working order for me.”

“So you got away from the mercs,” Zoe asked and River could feel Riddick’s fury with the woman. “Why didn’t you come back to _Serenity_?”

River’s mouth twisted, Zoe didn’t realize how much her phrasing gave her emotions away. Mal was giving his First Mate a sidelong look of evaluation so he’d caught it and from the look on Simon and Jayne’s faces they had too. “I had no way to find you,” She began quietly. “And even when I thought to try, I decided against it.”

“Why?” Simon sounded heartbroken. “You thought I was dead…but _Serenity_ was still your home.”

River shook her head, “No.” She sighed, “ _Serenity_ hadn’t been home to me since Wash was killed.” She looked at all of them. “And you were dead. I couldn’t go back and face everyone, knowing you’d died because of me. No one would say it out loud. But everyone would be thinking it. Thinking it so loudly. How it was all my fault. May fault you were dead. My fault Wash was killed. My fault _Serenity_ had such trouble finding work. I couldn’t go back and face that, not again.”

“What do you mean again?” Mal was frowning. “I know for damn sure I never blamed you.”

“But you did,” River wasn’t going to lie. Not about this. “I spent almost a year on _Serenity_ , mad with the secrets I couldn’t escape, and I felt everything. All of you, your thoughts, emotions…all of them. I knew you better than I knew myself. And when I got my sanity back there was no hiding from your minds. From your thoughts, all the secret things you would never say but thought and felt and then hid. Not knowing I was a Reader, and so making no effort to bury your thoughts or emotions. Maybe if I hadn’t been drowned in your minds for so long I wouldn’t have heard you all so well once I was sane.” She shrugged, “But I did. Even when I learned how to narrow the flow down to a trickle, to only hear what I listened for, there was no escaping what I’d already heard, already learned.”

“She don’t forget things,” Riddick commented seemingly out of the blue.

But she nodded her agreement, “I don’t. I have an eidetic memory.” She looked at Mal, “That means I can’t forget. It’s why I’m still so good at everything the academy taught me. I could break the programming. Break the triggers. But I can’t unlearn the behavior.”

“And we have mercs on our necks,” Her partner added.

“Will always have mercs on our necks,” She nodded. “Santana was the head of the group that took me. They kept me with them for about eighteen months before I could escape. Hard to tell precisely with cryo messing with my brain. He scrubbed the merc databases of me, because he wanted to keep the edge a precog could give him.”

“That’s what they wanted you for?” Simon was relieved, and Jayne rolled his eyes next to him.

“No, you idjit, it wasn’t,” The big man shook his head. “They’re guild mercs, once they got a bounty, they do what they like with it. Bounties don’t got rights.” Dark blue eyes met hers sadly, “You able to get to a doctor Loony?”

“Saw a Counselor and a doctor,” River nodded. “Physically, healed. Mentally and emotionally… mostly healed,” She leaned against Riddick and was gratified to feel his hand curve around her hip. “My partner helps.”

“You were able ta partner with a guy after that?” Jayne was both impressed and concerned and she Read that he was worried about her being unhealthy in a whole new way.

“Academy stripped my amygdale,” River reminded him and the gunhand nodded obviously recalling the brain scan on Ariel. “Richard’s amygdale is…overdeveloped. Accustomed to controlling his emotions, his reactions. Survival depended on the ability to compartmentalize. Doesn’t consider people things, not ever. Very safe for the girl to be around. Stifles his thoughts so he doesn’t frighten her. Until she was healed.”

Jayne nodded slowly and she nearly smiled, her explanation had made sense to him, even if Mal and Zoe were confused. Riddick slanted a look at the Captain, “You don’t get it.” He observed bluntly.

“Took one look at them and ran,” River reminded her big man.

“Well yeah, after thinkin’ they’d blame you for your brother bein’ dead and that bitch blaming you for everything that went wrong,” Riddick defended her. “An’ even your Captain wondering if the Companion woulda stayed if you were less you.”

That stopped Mal from saying anything as his face reddened, obviously recalling a thought or two he’d had after Inara had gone. Simon was growing steadily more angry and Jayne wasn’t much better, “Are you kiddin’ me?” Jayne spat out the words. “You _liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi_. It weren’t her idea ta get her brain cut on. An’ it sure weren’t her idea ta doll up _Serenity_ like a Reaver boat an’ head ta Miranda. An’ I know damn well it weren’t her idea ta shoot at the gorram Reavers and make ‘em all follow us down ta Universe’s moon. That were all you Mal an’ it got Wash kilt.”

“Yeah, ‘cause your idea a givin’ Simon an’ River to the Operative would’ve gone so much better.” Mal shot back, “He’d’ve killed both of them and all of us to boot.”

“Hey, I wanted ‘em both offa the boat, but I never said anythin’ ‘bout turnin’ ‘em over.” Jayne snarled back.

“Yeah, ‘cause you were gonna just load ‘em into a shuttle an’ wish ‘em fare thee well,” Mal nearly sneered.

“Truth,” River spoke on the heels of his words. “Jayne thought to save us all. Take the shuttle to a shipyard and steal a boat, plant our DNA on it and set it to blow up in the atmosphere.” She smiled at Jayne, “Finding a twitchy boat and getting it to blow up without Kaylee was problematic but priority was to get the girl off _Serenity_.”

That stumped Mal and Simon looked at Jayne admiringly, “That’s…that would actually have worked. Especially if you were with us. It would be believable.”

Jayne shrugged, “Well, didn’t get much further’n openin’ the door an’ gettin’ River’s boot and a can a peaches to my head.”

“Sorry,” River smiled sheepishly. “Only had Miranda in my mind, wasn’t thinking of alternatives.”

“Eh, you were still crazy, an’ I shoulda known better,” Jayne shrugged.

“Yeah you shoulda,” Mal told him flatly.

“Still don’t change the fact that River didn’t come back because everyone blamed her for what happened,” Jayne shot back at him. “Me an’ Simon didn’t.”

“Not once?” Zoe finally spoke. She hadn’t denied anything, simply watched silently while everyone spoke around her.

“I was worried and working like I had four hands but I knew it wasn’t any fault a River’s. She helped as much as she could, wrote the letters for me when I’s too tired to even hold a pencil. Hell, it weren’t her fault the Operative was a _gǒu niáng yǎng de_ ,” The big gunhand shook his head. “Weren’t her fault she was ready for a bughouse neither. Operative were the one who kilt off almost everyone we done business with. An’ Mal’s the one got the bright idea of bringin’ Reavers to the Alliance. Way I see it, she hadn’t dove out into that room an’ kilt all o’ them Reavers we’d a been dead long ‘fore them Purplebellies got to us.” He aimed a pointed look at Zoe, “Including Wash if he’d survived the crash an’ Jason in your belly.”

Riddick tugged her back against him and one big hand began to rub at her neck beneath her knot of hair. “If ya’ll are done spittin’ at each other we’ve got work to do. An’ we cain’t exactly take off while you’re on board.” He reminded them, “You got things to say to Kitten maybe you oughta say them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I've been running a few days late posting so I figured you wouldn't mind a chapter a day or two early. At last! The moment so many have been waiting for, Serenity finally caught up with them. Did anyone see this coming? Specifically, Simon being alive? I couldn't kill him off, I'm still upset about Wash dying in canon. But I always had in mind that Serenity would catch up to them eventually. They couldn't run from them forever really.
> 
> A while back sxevlbtch https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1375901/ left a comment suggesting that I write something where Mal met Saffron and found out that it was River and Riddick who got her pinched. I’ve had it written for a while now, but I couldn’t post it until after this chapter went up. It contains major spoilers for this chapter. 
> 
> Keeping to my Shakespearean theme of this story it’s called ‘Any Model To Build Mischief On’ and it should be up in a few days so keep an eye out if you’re interested.
> 
> Chinese Translations: 
> 
> Háo qiáng (despot / tyrant / bully)
> 
> bàng jiār (lover / partner)
> 
> Nǐ tā mā de tiān xià suǒ yǒu de rén dōu gāi sǐ. (Fuck everyone in the universe to death.)
> 
> Pū jiē! (fuck you! (Cantonese))
> 
> jiàn huò (bitch)
> 
> tiān shā de (goddamn)
> 
> gǒu niáng yǎng de (son of a bitch)
> 
> Script Chinese Translations: 
> 
> Gao yang jong duh goo yang (Script- Motherless goats of all motherless goats)
> 
> liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi (script- Stupid son of a drooling whore and monkey)


	29. O Could Our Mourning Ease Thy Misery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Come, let us go, and make thy father blind;  
> For such a sight will blind a father's eye:  
> One hour's storm will drown the fragrant meads;  
> What will whole months of tears thy father's eyes?  
> Do not draw back, for we will mourn with thee  
> O, could our mourning ease thy misery!  
> \--Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare

Dog had finished his meal and come to sit by he and Kitten, resting his head on Kitten’s feet, his eyes on the strangers to the boat. Riddick couldn’t blame him, Dog was a predator, just like he was, and it was in their nature to evaluate people for weaknesses.

He could tell that of the crew in the room with them, the mechanic was the weak link, they would all make some sacrifice to save her from harm. Once the Doctor might have been someone to take advantage of in the same way but he’d been hardened by life on _Serenity_ , living on the Rim. He might carry a medkit but he also wore a gun with the same ease the gunhand did.

The gunhand was interesting, his attitude was protective, towards the mechanic and the doctor both. He guessed the two men had come to terms at some point, Kitten had mentioned they’d gotten along better after Miranda. Riddick guessed he took his job pretty serious, he hadn’t taken his eyes off Riddick or Dog since they’d come into the galley.

The mechanic had been quiet so far, her hand tight in Simon’s, her eyes dark and sad as she heard everything that had happened since Kitten had left Serenity. Not once had she expressed doubt in what she was hearing and Riddick guessed the sweet sunny nature Kitten knew had been dampened some by everything that had happened to her ship and crew. She hadn’t seemed surprised by Kitten’s decision to not return either. Her mouth had tilted downward when Kitten talked about being blamed and Riddick guessed she was remembering a few thoughts she wasn’t proud of.

She was good at turning the subject to something less uncomfortable and patted the couch she was sitting on, “Ya’ll got the place so comfy. Did ya think to take on passengers? Or are you only doin’ cargo?”

Kitten’s scent sweetened, always pleased to talk about the _Sanguine_ and the work they’d done on her, though she didn’t mention all of their security measures or the work they’d done to upgrade the engine. “We’re mostly carrying cargo, though we’ve taken on a couple of other jobs,” She smiled. “We’re set up to carry four passengers if we get to the point of wanting to take them.”

“We ain’t real eager to have strangers on the boat,” Riddick added.

“Why’s that?” The mechanic, Kaylee, her name was, asked curiously. “Passengers can be so much fun.”

“An’ no small amount a trouble too,” The Captain put in dryly.

“Not so comfortable around strangers that we welcome them,” Kitten explained. “Mercs after me. Interested in my _bàng jiār_ as well.”

“Why’s that?” The gun hand tilted his head.

“Jayne,” Kitten scolded. “Rude to ask.”

“Point stands,” Washburne eyed him and Riddick growled.

“My _bàng jiār_ helped me get away from the mercs, killed Santana and three others,” Kitten was doing a little snarling of her own.

“Hey,” He pressed his lips to her hair. “Ain’t a big secret Kitten.” She looked up at him, dark eyes fiercely protective and he smiled. She was the only person in the ‘Verse who thought he needed protecting and had any interest in doing so. But better to just rip the bandage off quick, “Kitten scrubbed the databases of me, same as she did her, but mercs know me. Richard B. Riddick.”

“Escaped convict, murderer,” Kitten intoned, using his most sardonic voice and he grinned down at her.

“Damn,” Jayne was shaking his head and sitting back, finally relaxed. “Finally know where I recognize you from. That’s a relief.” He nudged Simon next to him, “She’s travelin’ with one a the most deadly men in the ‘Verse. ‘Spect he’s prob’ly the only one could keep up with her. Ain’t a prison built or made can hold him, not even the planet ones.”

That had the Doctor relaxing some even as Reynolds tensed up, “’Tross, you’re travelin’ with this fella…”

“Sexin’ him too,” Kitten told him proudly. “My _bàng jiār_ is very knowledgeable. Knows just what to do to take care of his woman. Doesn’t scare me. Hasn’t ever scared me.”

“Why doncha tell ‘em how we met,” Riddick suggested with a grin. “Show off the _Sanguine_ an’ I’ll get a course prepped.”

She nodded thoughtfully and deliberately pressed her lips to his before sliding off his lap, “Won’t be long.”

He nodded and stood, heading for the bridge, patting Dog, “Go on with Kitten. Take care a her.” He told the big animal and Dog immediately pressed against Kitten’s side.

* * *

River hadn’t had to keep track of so many minds since she and Riddick had pulled their last bank job. But at least with _Serenity’s_ crew it wasn’t difficult. Zoe’s mind was chilly and still a bit hostile, though she was controlling it better now than she’d been back on Persephone. Mal was still puzzling over her lack of interest in returning ‘home’ while Jayne, Kaylee and Simon were simply eager to see where she lived.

“Seen the galley,” She gestured to the room around them. “Bridge is through that hall, engine room above it.” She heard Kaylee’s thought that if you’d seen one Knorr’s engine you’d seen them all and was grateful for her old friend’s assumption. Kaylee was many things but able to easily keep a secret wasn’t really one of them.

“See you got plenty of cameras about,” Mal commented as she showed them the crew quarters, the room she and Riddick shared and her old room behind another two locked doors, set up with enough cortex equipment to make Mr. Universe envious. “And not a lot of manual locks.”

“A few,” River nodded. “Good with a cortex, just as good at husking as Mr. Universe. Programmed _Sanguine_ and upgraded her sensors and auto pilot.” She slanted a look at him as she showed them the passenger quarters. “Able to override all systems from a data pad. Should we be boarded, can close off any room and open the airlocks.”

“That’s handy,” Jayne observed, whistling over the amount of weapons she and Riddick had collected. “You two got yourselves a nice little armory there.”

“Tools of the trade,” River nodded her agreement. “Set up _Sanguine_ with ghost protocols and the ability to mask ships ident codes too.”

“Ghost protocols?” Zoe asked the question though from the look of it she beat Mal to it by a split second.

“For when we go on a salvage job?” River closed the doors to their private quarters and patted Dog. “Tests the salvage ship’s hull, floods it with air if need be, shuts _Sanguine_ down except for one room for Dog. Attach to the other ship in some place unobtrusive. Hide from scans. Residual heat reads as radiation from the salvaged ship.”

“That’s…” Kaylee looked like she was very interested in how to turn that trick to _Serenity’s_ advantage.

“Very handy,” Mal nodded his agreement. “How good do your systems have to be?”

“Wouldn’t have tried it with _Serenity_ until now,” River told him promptly. “Old wiring wouldn’t support the power flow. Unreliable. But since she was mostly rewired, some new boards and sensors and it’s possible.” She picked up the datapad off the table and began to key into it, “Waving you with the specs. Much testing required before actual field work.”

“What did you mean you can mask a ship’s ident codes?” Simon tilted his head, “I thought that was supposed to be impossible.”

River sent him an amused look, “Nothing is impossible. Merely difficult to achieve and time consuming. At least with the right preparation.” She shrugged, “We practically rebuilt _Sanguine_. Bought programable paint and used it for her sigil. Ident codes are what a scan reads, usually hard keyed in, embedded in the hardware. Replace that hardware with a custom board. Replace one code with another in the cortex and the scan reads a different name.”

“So you couldn’t do it with _Serenity_ then?” Mal was thinking over the possibilities.

“Could, if you didn’t mind being grounded for a month while I pulled apart your bridge, found the hardware, built you a board and replaced everything.” River shrugged at him. “Programmable paint cost extra.” She guided them down to the part of the Knorr she and Riddick had truly turned to their advantage while Mal considered that.

“Wow,” Kaylee was looking around the sparring and exercise space. “This’s almost half the deck.”

River nodded, “Very important. Not much leisure time when we first started working together. Slept on bedrolls but got the head, laundry and this space set up after the engines and bridge. Good for blowing off steam. Partners could spar with each other, exercise, practice… without having to hit dirt for space or pay for equipment somewhere else.”

Jayne was nodding his appreciation, “This’d keep you from goin’ stir crazy if ya didn’t have time for R&R.”

“Which we didn’t,” Riddick commented as he walked down the hall. “Pretty much worked constantly for a while, using the money to buy the boat and then fix it up the way we wanted.”

“Difficult for a while, but worth it,” River nodded, moving towards her partner and leaning against him. He was worried, pushing it to the back of his mind but the thoughts kept flying about, unruly and difficult to ignore.

“Can see you got it set up real nice,” Mal nodded.

“You’ve made it a home,” Simon smiled a bit sadly. He’d realized already that she would never go back to _Serenity_. Her place was here.

“It is,” River nodded.

“I still have your things,” Simon told her. “I kept all of them. If you have the time, you could come, show Riddick _Serenity_ and pick them up.” He looked at the two of them a bit uncertainly, “If you have time. You did say you have a job to do.”

* * *

He certainly wasn’t going to tell her no she couldn’t go see her old ship and pick up the things her brother had kept for her. But he damn sure wasn’t going to leave her alone with her old crew either. He didn’t really care for any of them besides her brother and the gunhand, and the gunhand only because Kitten had said he never blamed her for _Serenity’s_ troubles. And he hadn’t smelt like lies the entire time he’d talked. Neither had her brother.

The mechanic didn’t talk much but she didn’t seem like the sort who’d lie real easy. She was glad to see Kitten, that was obvious. And she was sad that Kitten wasn’t coming back, but she accepted it.

Reynolds and Washburne were the two he was concerned about. Washburne had an air about her that said she’d do whatever it took to finish a job. And she didn’t seem too particular about the job. Maybe once she had been, but he’d bet whatever softness she’d had for anyone besides Reynolds and her kid had died when her husband did.

And Reynolds… well he didn’t seem all that accepting of Kitten’s choices. Like he was thinking she’d see her old boat and be overcome with the need to stay.

“Figure we’ve got time to get whatever Kitten wants from your boat,” Riddick shrugged finally. “Be interestin’ to see it. Think Dog oughta stay here though,” He told Kitten.

She nodded. “Leave him out with one of his treats to chew on?”

“Yeah, one of his big bones oughta do it,” Riddick grinned. “Keep him happy until we’re back.”

Her smile was sweet as sin as she pressed a kiss to his jaw, “She will get _Sanguine_ shut down.”

“I’ll get the treat out.” He jerked his head at her old crew to follow him, “Laundry’s there, head’s next to it. Kitten figured havin’ a laundry on board was cheaper than payin’ the rates at the docks.”

“Might see about doing somethin’ like that for _Serenity_ ,” Kaylee enthused. “Be worth it, even if only a washer. Hang everythin’ to dry.”

“Dock fees include changing out the water anyway,” Riddick nodded. “So why not do laundry while you’re docked.” He reached into the upper cupboard and pulled out a bone as long as his forearm, whistling for Dog.

The big animal came running in from the bridge and he grinned, crouching down to pat him, “We’re goin’ to get some things. But we’ll be back pretty quick. You just relax here and chew on this. When we’re done we’re gonna go somewhere you can run a bit. Got me?”

Dog gave one of his silly barks that basically said ‘of course I’ve got it do I look stupid’ and proceeded to lie down in the middle of the galley with his bone to set about the serious business of gnawing it to death. Riddick chuckled and stood, watching as Kitten came out of the bridge, shutting down systems and locking doors as she did.

“All set,” She grinned at him, fingers flying over her datapad while her old crew watched curiously.

“You weren’t kiddin’ about havin’ the boat dialed in,” Jayne commented.

“She’s almost got it to where we can fly it remotely,” Riddick boasted. “You put a cortex on the washing machine she probably could make it fly too.”

“And my Riddick could land it,” She grinned up at him, snugged against his side as they led _Serenity’s_ crew off the boat.

“We’re not far,” Simon commented as Kitten closed the _Sanguine_ up. He studied the name on the side of the Knorr. “Interesting name.”

“How’d you happen onto a name like _Sanguine_ anyway?” Reynolds asked curiously.

Kitten grinned at Riddick and he couldn’t help grinning back, “Kitten’s suggestion actually.”

“Yeah? ‘Tross what made you think of it?” Reynolds was acting all affable now that they were on the way to his boat.

Kitten’s giggle floated through the air and he chuckled as he recalled the conversation they’d had about naming the boat back when they’d just begun to get her airborn.

“Kitten, all the test runs are good,” He’d called up to the engine room where his little partner was tinkering. “You sound up there?”

“We are,” Kitten had poked her head out before climbing down. “Last check of the systems. All good.”

“Good…figure it’s about time we found some work to pay for what all we want done,” He’d headed back to the bridge. “Know you put in the changeable idents, but we’re gonna need an official name.”

She was nodding her agreement as she wiped off her hands, “If only so we do not confuse ourselves. A true name beneath the masks of falsehood.”

“You got any ideas?” He leaned back in the pilot’s seat as she sat in the co-pilot’s chair. “Been turning some over in my mind but none of ‘em sound right.”

“She has a thought, don’t know if he will like it though,” Kitten had watched him closely and he’d nodded.

“Well I ain’t the Reader here, you are. So let’s hear it.”

“Sanguine,” She suggested with a half smile. Her scent had been filled with humor and mischief and he’d liked the name partly because of that. “Overheard it used.”

“Sanguine,” He repeated. “Like the sound. What’s the catch?”

“Means hopeful,” Kitten’s smile had widened to a grin. “Also means ‘bloody.” She smirked, “Liked the implications. Seemed right for us.”

“Damn sure does,” Riddick had grinned. “Sanguine it is then.” Later on, he’d asked her about where she’d heard it and she’d quoted him an entire conversation that had tickled him to death especially when he learned the circumstances surrounding it.

He aimed a smirk at Reynolds, recognizing the voices and cadence Kitten had used back then as Washburne and Reynolds now that he’d met them. “Kitten? You want to tell them?”

“He recalls the conversation,” She sounded pleased and he smiled at her. “Will take the male part?”

“Oh,” He nodded much to the interest of the crew around them, “Sure thing.”

Kitten’s entire demeanor was one of mischief as she looked at Reynolds, her voice eerily like Washburne’s now that Riddick had heard the woman speak, “You sanguine about the kind of reception we're apt to receive on an Alliance ship, Cap?”

Riddick grinned, doing his best to imitate Reynolds, “Absolutely.” He paused, “What’s ‘sanguine’ mean?”

Kitten smirked, her voice still Washburne’s, much to his and Jayne’s obvious amusement, “’Sanguine.’ Hopeful. Plus, point of interest, it also means ‘bloody.’”

Riddick nearly laughed at the look on Reynold’s face as he gave the man’s response, “Well, that pretty much covers all the options, don’t it?”

Jayne was nearly chortling and Kaylee was smiling though Washburne just looked irked and Simon confused. Reynolds didn’t seem to find it as amusing as he did, “You weren’t even on the boat when we had that conversation.” The Captain recalled.

“She was in preparation for being burned as a witch,” Kitten grinned. “Still heard everything.” She shrugged at Reynolds. “He knew this, before anyone else, he realized what she was.”

“Just ain’t ever had it brought home how much you hear,” Reynolds seemed slightly discombobulated and Riddick glanced at River as they arrived at a battered Ought Three Firefly. “This here’s _Serenity_.”

Riddick looked over the ship thoughtfully. He could see where it parts had been replaced, making it obvious that the ship had been through hell and back. “Pretty old girl.” He commented. It wasn’t a lie. Fireflies were graceful workhorses that would fly forever if they were taken care of. But they needed more crew than he and Kitten could manage.

His comment got a half smile from Reynolds and a beam of pleasure from the mechanic, “You ever sail in one before?” She asked as they stepped aboard. The ship’s systems couldn’t hold a candle to _Sanguine’s_ , he could see that much just from the keypads.

“Haven’t had the pleasure,” He shook his head, “Been mostly in the outer systems, ships run more to cryo there. We looked at one though. Took more crew than we could manage on our own.”

“She does that,” Kaylee nodded. “C’mon up to the galley. We got River’s things in the spare bunk.”

“Keeps ‘em safe,” Jayne explained as Reynolds led the way up the stairs. “We have passengers now and again, didn’t want any a her things to go missin’ if we left ‘em in the bay or the passenger dorms.”

“Lived there,” River pointed at the double stacked dorms beyond a med bay.

Riddick nodded thoughtfully studying the ship as they moved through it. It was old, battered and undeniably worn but this was a ship that was loved. The galley was painted with a flowering vine and contained a beat up old table and assorted chairs along with a tall angular woman feeding a caramel skinned toddler something out of a jar.

“Hey, he was fussin’ so I figured give him his…” The voice trailed off as the woman realized there were two strangers amongst the familiar crew. “Uh hey, I’m Mattie.”

“Mattie is our pilot, since I can’t fly the boat all the time,” Reynolds explained carelessly. “Mattie, this is…” He looked at Kitten and Riddick, “Simon’s sister, River and her partner…”

“Most folks just call me Jon,” Riddick nodded at her. The ship was dim enough that he didn’t need his goggles like he had outside but not so dark that his shine would be obvious. “Jon Richards.”

“Nice ta meetcha,” She nodded and handed over the spoon and jar to Washburne. “Cap we headed out or stayin’ a while?”

“We’ve got cargo and a job to pick up so we’re here for a day at least.” Reynolds was obviously thinking about scheduling. “You got things need doin’?”

“Nothin’ that cain’t wait on somewhere with breathable air,” She replied wryly. “I cain’t go out in that muck without hackin’ up a lung.”

Jayne had headed into the hallway past the galley while introductions where being made and descended into a room via a ladder down a trap door. Simon was moving towards the pilot in concern, “Is your asthma bothering you?”

Jayne’s head popped out of the bunk along with a trunk which he put on the floor before climbing up after it, “Her lungs hurtin’? Mattie? Doc?”

Riddick studied the woman thoughtfully, tall, eyes of a similar shade as Jayne’s even if he couldn’t tell what color, and there was a similarity of features as well. “Sister?”

“Little sister,” Kitten nodded. “Asthma complicated by damp-lung, ships air is dry, best for her, and she’s a good pilot. Learned on the cortex and by piloting ships on the docks until she could be trusted in atmo.”

The woman gave them a startled look but obligingly took the deep breath Simon was requesting while Jayne hovered. Kaylee was looking on in concern and Reynolds was watching he and Kitten like they were two tigers at the dinner table. “Sure we can’t convince you to stay a spell? Kaylee’s plannin’ on a meal b’fore we leave.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: So do you think they’ll stay for supper? And what is Riddick so worried about? I had the thought that River’s loyalty would be to him and their ship, so she wouldn’t feel the need to confide in Serenity’s crew every little thing they’d done to Sanguine. 
> 
> What do you all think? Is the reunion going the way you hoped/thought it would? I’m thinking of another one shot from Jayne’s point of view, maybe him tracking Simon after the mercs took River and the resultant chaos of her disappearance. Maybe with a time jump to when they all meet up again? Any interest? Or would I be writing that for my own amusement?
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> bàng jiār (lover / partner)


	30. He's Mad, That Trusts In The Tameness Of A Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He’s mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a horse’s health, a boy’s love, or a whore’s oath.  
> \--King Lear, William Shakespeare

River looked at Riddick and nearly blinked in surprise as the reason for his tension became clear. His thoughts were unguarded and filled with worry, not because they were on a boat he didn’t know, surrounded by people he didn’t trust. He was afraid she’d decide to stay with _Serenity_. He worried she’d leave him for her family, not realizing that while she loved them, he was far more important.

“I think we should go,” She said quietly. “Work to be done. Will wave you with our cortex address.” She slipped her hand into the crook of Riddick’s elbow and leaned into his side. “We are already delayed.”

“Oh but—” Kaylee appeared about to object and subsided at a look from Mal.

“Will wave you,” River promised. “We can arrange to meet up. Persephone maybe. Or Santo.”

She moved to hug Simon affectionately and patted Jayne’s shoulder, “Get her off of Beaumonde and replace the air filters on _Serenity_ , that will help.” She suggested as Riddick moved to pick up her trunk and easily lifted it to his shoulder without any visible effort.

Kaylee goggled at the sight of him, muscles flexing and easily balancing the trunk on his shoulder before she recovered. Mal and Zoe didn’t quite goggle but they did have a speculative look in their eyes and River sighed. “Told you, he is her equal.” She reminded them.

“I’ll walk you down,” Simon walked after her hurriedly. “Mattie, take several deep breaths. You know what to do.” He instructed as they left the room. “River…”

“I know,” She smiled at him. “But I can’t stay. I love you. But my home is on our ship, with my partner. I’ll wave you. This won’t be the last you see of me, I promise.”

Her big brother sighed but hugged her as they came to the bay doors. “All right. I just… We don’t have a very good precedent set here. Every time you leave, something happens.”

River chuckled, “But neither time did I have Riddick with me.” She reminded him. “He’s very good at taking care of me. And I of him.”

Simon nodded and hugged her again. “All right. Send me your cortex address and I’ll wave you.”

“Will.” River nodded and before she could change her mind, followed Riddick off of _Serenity_.

* * *

 

Riddick was still tense even after they were back aboard _Sanguine_ and set her trunk down outside their room as if it was a bomb. “I’ll get us in the air, set the autopilot,” He gave Dog a pat and headed towards the bridge.

River smiled after him, taking out supplies for a meal. He’d relax a bit more once they were in the air and once they’d both eaten if he was still worried she’d talk to him about it. Funnily enough, she’d thought he would dislike Jayne on principle, find Simon overprotective and Kaylee annoying. But those were the members of her family her big man seemed to like. Zoe and Mal though, Riddick practically bristled with defenses whenever they looked at him or her.

Given his worries about her leaving she’d have expected his mind to be considering the practicalities of dissolving their partnership, how they’d divide the boat, what sort of price they could get for it and what he might be able to do with his share. She’d thought he’d be wondering about the type of boat he could afford or if she’d maybe invite him to return to _Serenity_ with her.

Part of him was considering that, seriously considering it, parking _Sanguine_ on Universe’s moon and shipping out with her as part of _Serenity’s_ crew, just so he could be with her. He wasn’t sure how that would work out but he was willing to give it a try in order to stay with her.

But he wasn’t worrying on the pragmatic. Riddick’s mind was fixed on his memories of her, the last couple weeks they’d spent in bed, the year and months before of developing friendship to true partnership, and trying to figure out how he could convince her to stay. And barring that, trying to think of arguments for taking him with her when she left.

The chicken protein was sizzling in hot oil and dried noodles were rehydrating in broth with some of the vegetables she’d canned and her seasonings when he emerged from the bridge, a wary expression on his face. “Made noodles for you,” She smiled up at him and his thought was to wonder if she was buttering him up to break her leaving to him gently. Softening the blow with one of his favorite foods.

“That’s…thanks,” He took the bowls out and began to set the table, making the hot tea she preferred and filling their mugs.

“Richard B. Riddick,” She set the bowls down and looked at him, “Stop this.”

“What?” He didn’t quite growl but his jaw was set in a way that indicated his temper was short.

She heaved a sigh and began to take her hair out of its chignon, smiling when he pulled her to him and began to do it for her, running his fingers through the long locks and inhaling the scent of her hair. “Told him once, he is possessive like Malcolm Reynolds, His woman, His ship, His partner. His Kitten.” She kissed his forehead and traced the shape of his face with her fingertips, “She is possessive too. Her partner. Her ship. Her Lover. Her Riddick.”

“Yeah?” He half smiled up at her, waiting for the other shoe to drop and wondering why her proclaiming possession of him didn’t chafe the way another woman’s might.

“Yes.” River nodded and kissed him. “She loves _Serenity_. _Serenity_ is _more_ a mother to her than the biological woman who bore her. Malcolm Reynolds more of a father than her biological sire. But children leave their parents. Leave home. For a new life.” She pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth, “She loves _Serenity_. Loves her crew that became family. But she loves _Sanguine_ more.” She took a deep breath and forced her words to come out straight. “I love you more Riddick. I love you… more than anything.”

His mind blazed, burning bright with joy, brilliant it was so encompassing and absolute, kissing her hungrily. “Kitten…” He couldn’t speak for a moment, couldn’t breathe for staring at her in shock and joy. She smiled again, his happiness infectious, “I’m keeping you Kitten.” He declared flatly, holding her tightly to his body. “You’re… you’re important. Most important… I’m keeping you forever.”

She smiled and kissed him back, determined to enjoy this moment. He wasn’t ready to say he loved her, couldn’t even admit it to himself, didn’t want that weakness, that chink in his armor. His happiness that she loved him… Could mean that he loved her? She was special to him. He’d never said he would keep anyone else forever.

But she’d opened herself up, left herself wide open to any wound he cared to inflict with her declaration and not even a flicker of thought had crossed his mind to say it back. To say he cared but he wasn’t ready to speak, to say he didn’t know what love even was, but he wanted to love her. And that ability he had to compartmentalize and ignore his feelings, his amygdale so finely developed, gave nothing away of what he truly felt for her.

‘ _He’ll never love you_ ,’ Shirah’s whisper echoed in her mind even as Riddick’s mouth pressed along her jaw and neck. ‘You’ll only ever be a partner, a bedmate, never a true lover. Never a wife or mother. He knows you’re not worthy of a Furyan Alpha. He’ll never love someone like you.’

River frowned and pushed the thought away when Riddick looked at her in concern, his nostrils flaring at the change in her scent, until she kissed him again and they ended up having to reheat dinner.

* * *

 

He woke in the middle of _Sanguine’s_ night cycle, Kitten shivering in his arms and realized they’d fallen asleep on top of the quilts. Tucking her into the bed he got up and pulled on a pair of shorts, padding to the bridge to check their course.

Out of habit he took the pilot’s seat and ran the course diagnostic program Kitten had developed, making minute corrections before he sat back. Eventually they’d have to set down and recalibrate the thrusters but that was barely even a blip in his mind. She loved him. In all of his life he couldn’t remember anyone saying that to him that had, a) meant it and b) not been trying to manipulate him. But Kitten had been telling him the absolute truth. And she’d said it for no other reason than to ease his worries. To let him know she wasn’t going back to her old boat.

A wave notification flickered on the screen and he adjusted his goggles to read the text. Incoming from the Firefly Transport _Serenity_. What the hell did they want? He shook his head and opened the channel. The face on the other side of the cortex wasn’t Kitten’s brother or the Captain. The goateed face of the gunhand stared back at him.

“Yeah?” He greeted the man. “Forgot something?”

“Nah, nothin’ like that,” The gun hand took a breath. “Look, I just wanted ta say, I know why she ain’t comin’ back. Girl’s real loyal once she’s got a friend. She won’t abandon you. Not even for her brother. Plain to see she loves you.” He looked behind him as if checking for listeners and seemed satisfied he wouldn’t be overheard when he turned back to the screen.

“I know. I trust her,” Riddick nodded his understanding.

“Yeah, I got that.” The man, Jayne, rubbed a hand over his face. “Look, this ain’t gonna come out good no matter how I say it. When she’s here before, there’s this…arrogance to her. Once she got her brain back I mean. She weren’t nasty with it, just real… assured? I guess that’s the word.” He spread his hands helplessly, “She held her own with Reavers an’ that pretty much makes you think there ain’t much you cain’t handle. She could kick any of us around like we were hoopballs.”

“All right…” He wasn’t quite sure what the man was getting at, though his body language spoke of good intentions.

“But when we just seen her? She ain’t like that anymore,“ Jayne said slowly. “She’s got confidence, an’ she could kick our _pì gus_ , but she don’t take it for granted no more.” He shook his head, “I caught a look in her eye, lookin’ ‘round at all of us in _Serenity’s_ galley… like she were realizin’, there’s four folk in that room bigger’n her, not countin’ you. An’ if she’s caught off guard, she ain’t guaranteed of winnin’ a fight. Think the only think that kept her from leavin’ a minute after ya’ll came was that you had her back. There’s a time she’d’ve felt safer on _Serenity_ than anywheres else. But she didn’t. Mal didn’t see it, neither did Zoe or Kaylee.”

“Being gang raped by a pack of mercs’ll do that to you,” Riddick told him bluntly. “There was only one even half way close to her size and he was more like her keeper. They kept her chained up, shackles around her wrist and ankle. Didn’t let her bathe with more than a bowl of water after she dried to drown herself. The only thing that kept them from doing it over and over was that the kid who was her keeper figured out she was a Seer and she couldn’t predict if she was nuts. When they raped her she’d go away in her mind. Didn’t stop them from beating on her, for punishment or just because. And the head of the ‘clan’,” He couldn’t help the sneer on his lips at the word, “Apparently, he got off on girls being chained up, because according to the one I questioned he still kept at her now and then. Nearly did it the day after we met, beat the crap out of her and was trying to force himself on her when another Boss pulled him off.”

“They used somethin’ to knock her out when they took her,” The gun hand suggested. “It’s the only way they could have gotten her. Some sorta gas or drugs.”

Riddick nodded, “Yeah they got a hold of some gas the law uses, smoke bombs of it and threw them towards her. She told me she has bad reactions to drugs that deal with nerve centers or knock out drugs.”

Jayne sighed and shook his head, “When she was crazy, well, Simon he’d try to sedate her, to keep her calm, help her try to get her mind together. Sometimes someone’d have to hold her down so he could inject her. She told me later, after she got her brain back, the drugs opened her up, made her hear more, nothing to control it. She’s got bad reactions to any drug that knocks you out.” He sighed, shaking his head, “It was meant for the best but I can see how being back on the boat wouldn’t be the best thing for her. She gets flashbacks, or did, and if she takes a bad turn she could kill any of us trying to fight whoever it is she’s seein’.”

“Nearly opened up my throat when I tried to wake her from a nightmare,” Riddick told him. “If I wasn’t who I am she might have done it. And I damn near did the same to her. Very early in our partnership,” He shrugged. “We sleep together fine now. And she’s had healing, counseling. And when we got the money we found a doctor, a woman, and she made sure Kitten weren’t damaged.”

“Good.” Jayne nodded. “I just… I wanted to make sure you knew. In case she started to have nightmares again. She’s always had ‘em. Some stuff was hard for her to say, hard for anyone to talk about I guess, but you’re takin’ care of her. She’s said you’re good at it. Guess I just wanted you to be able to keep doin’ that. And I didn’t want you gettin’ the idea that she’d be better off on _Serenity_. They’ll try to convince you a that. Don’t let ‘em. I talked with Simon ‘fore I waved, so he knows she’s better where she is. But the rest of ‘em? Ain’t any tellin’.”

“Yeah… thanks…” Riddick nodded slowly. This was something new, unsolicited help, information, because Kitten was family to her old crew?

“I’ll let you get back to sleep, I gotta go, don’t want Mal knowin’ I’ve been blabbin’ stuff he considers ‘ship business’.” The gun hand nodded in farewell and the wave disconnected abruptly.

Riddick sat for a moment more before returning to bed, pulling Kitten close and holding her while she sighed in her sleep. Sleep was a while coming for him as he considered everything that had happened that day. Finally he succumbed to dreams and Shirah’s bitching.

* * *

 

He woke up irritated as hell due to Shirah’s nagging and hugged Kitten to him tightly as she muttered in her sleep, her tone annoyed. He guessed Shirah was bugging her too. Kissing her awake was some fun and when she was spent and had screamed herself hoarse with pleasure he guessed neither of them minded being awake.

“Hmm… he woke in the night?” Kitten asked with a stretch of her arms.

He grinned, part of him liked that she was relaxed enough around him that she didn’t mind mixing up her pronouns. “Yeah, we fell asleep on top of the quilts so I got up, tucked you in and checked our course. Your Jayne waved. Said to say hello. Gave me some information. Let me know he’s on our side, for us stayin’ on _Sanguine_.”

“Smarter than he acts,” Kitten nodded. “Like my Riddick. Acts like a tortoise, plodding and slow of thought. But very keen with his observations.”

“Yeah well I ain’t ever heard of a smart gun hand living long,” Riddick smirked. “Play dumb and everyone underestimates you.”

“This fellow is wise enough to play the fool,” Kitten nodded grinning up at him. “She will make breakfast and then we will spar? She enjoys sparring with her partner when she does not have to conceal her desire for him.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Riddick dropped a kiss on her forehead. “We’ll be on Kerry by this afternoon. Earlier if we don’t need to change course for some reason. You wanna go through your truck after we shower and then get ready for the job after lunch?”

Kitten grinned at him, “Husk the post layout during lunch.” She agreed as she began to pull on some of her work out gear.

“Sounds like a plan,” He pulled on a pair of sweats and went to check their course again. It wasn’t strictly necessary but every now and then something would affect the ship enough for a course adjustment and those now and thens became more common when they were crossing multiple stars. Solar winds, Kitten called them, which were on top of whatever was itching the thrusters. Whatever they were they’d pull any ship slightly off course as it sailed and it was easier to make the corrections every half day or so rather than end up with a huge adjustment at the end of their journey.

She looked at him as she wound her hair back, “He does not stay with her out of guilt or pity.” It sounded like a statement but her eyes were holding a question.

“No.” He shook his head, “I don’t do anything I don’t want Kitten. Guilt is for when wrong’s been done and pity is for the weak or helpless. I haven’t done wrong and you’re not weak and helpless. I stay with you because you’re mine. I’m yours too.”

Her smile when he added that careless addendum could have rivaled White Sun for its light.

* * *

 

River frowned as she gathered the information they needed on the Kerry Trading Station they planned on heisting. “Interesting,” She commented.

“What’s that?” Riddick looked up from his work, wrapping one of her knives with leather around the hilt to replace the worn grip. It was painstaking work since he preferred to twist steel wire with the leather to increase the longevity of the grips.

“Two Trading Stations,” She told him as she scanned the data. “Both guarded by the same company. Payroll brought to both within twelve hours of each other.”

“Makes sense, why make two trips if you can make one and get both,” Riddick nodded. “Means less fuel consumption.”

“But it is an opportunity,” She pulled up the layout. “Same layout on both. One five hundred kilometers from the other.”

“Far enough that they won’t overlap territory but not so far a really good mule or ship can’t get there.” Riddick took in the map. “You think to hit both of them?”

“Information indicates this one, here in the east, gets its money first. Delivered this morning.” She pointed, “We go in. Do the job. Black out communications on our way into the station. They can’t call out to warn anyone. Beat feet back to _Sanguine_ , go five hundred klicks west and pull the same job.”

“And give the twins the take from only one of them,” Riddick caught onto her scheme and smirked. “It would serve ‘em right.”

“Only concern is competition for the job,” She pointed at the data she was gathering. “Flags on this indicate others have looked at the same information recently.”

“Can you get a fix on where they are? If they’re closer to Kerry we’ll have to burn harder.” Riddick looked at the screen curiously.

“Might be able to follow their trail back,” She began to type, the keys clattering and after near forty minutes work raised a fist in triumph. “They are… no closer than we are.” River double checked the comm station the signal was relaying through and nodded, “No. We will arrive first.”

“Only flaw is if they decide to hit the same station,” Riddick noted.

“Flags indicate they are looking to the west,” She shook her head. “Wouldn’t hurt us to burn a little harder though.”

“I’ll take us off autopilot then.” He put the finished knife in front of her. “That should do you good.”

“Thank you,” She smiled after him and replaced the blade in her boot, following him into the bridge to continue working from there.

“Only problem is people in the station. You will need to move the money, because the bags will be too heavy for me.” She noted, “But I am not the most intimidating presence, so they might think to overwhelm me when you’re not in the room.”

Riddick rolled his eyes, “You put a hole through one’s shoulder or throat and keep your guns on the others. I’ll sniff out their weapons and put ‘em in a bag. Then go down to the safe. They’ll be a lot less likely to try and rush you with your guns on ‘em.”

“Just don’t want to draw attention with gunfire,” She explained. “On Lilac Jayne shot Daisy and was heard. Lawman would have come if not for the Reavers.”

“Yeah, lawmen do tend to gum up a job,” He agreed. “All right, we’ve got plenty of disposable shivs. Good enough for throwing. We put holes in a couple people, take weapons, and continue as planned.”

“Good plan,” River nodded. “After we go back to Beaumonde, we can visit Persephone. Try to do research in the library?”

“Yeah,” Riddick was thinking of how irritating Shirah was and nodded. “Like that idea. Maybe that’ll shut the bitch up.”

River grinned, “You are very impatient with her.”

“Oh, like you enjoy having her nag all through your dreams?” He retorted with a smirk. She rolled her eyes and he nodded his satisfaction. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

* * *

 

She knew the day had been going too smoothly.

The first Trading Station had gone as planned. She and Riddick had taken the precaution of wearing hats and goggles as if to protect their faces from the wind in the mule. A not uncommon sight on the Rim. But the ‘protection’ also masked their faces nicely. Only one idiot had been brave enough to try and run at her and she’d kicked him in the jewels so hard he was probably still waiting for them to descend.

Riddick had charged down the steps to the vault faster than the guard could even get his gun up to shoot. His fist to the smaller male’s jaw had knocked the guard out and she’d heard the hiss of the seals release as he entered the vault.

In short order he’d brought up the cases of the payroll, all of it in platinum and all of it loaded into the mule. Within ten minutes of their entrance they were leaving, setting a new land speed record for getting back to _Sanguine_ and the ship off the ground.

Landing the boat somewhere close but discreet, meaning somewhat hidden, and driving the mule into town had been the last thing that went smoothly. So far she’d had to put three knives in people and kick one more idiot between the legs. Riddick had growled in irritation down in the vault and she heard his thoughts that he liked his shirts without extra holes and the bruise through the body armor wasn’t any fun either. Thankfully he was large enough that a small caliber bullet didn’t move him more than a step backwards.

In the middle of the job, while she was keeping an eye on the customers, the door had opened while Riddick was in the vault and four people had walked in.

They’d also had guns, one was very large and looked as dumb as Riddick and Jayne pretended to be. Though from his thoughts there was very little pretense about it. Another was small and twitchy and carried knives that were none too clean. The third was a female with a gun nearly as big as she was and the fourth a bald man with tattoos on his face.

“Well, it appears we’ve interrupted a party,” The tattooed man had to be the head of the gang because he spoke first and everyone else remained silent.

“You have,” River nodded. “Turn around and leave. Or die.”

“No, I don’t think we will,” The bald man shook his head. “I think you and your partner down in the vault will just keep loading up the mule and then we’ll be driving it away.”

Riddick appeared at the top of the stairs with the slow step of a man carrying too much weight and rolled his eyes behind his goggles as he saw the four interlopers. “ _Cào nǐ zǔ zōng shí bā dài_ ,” He cursed.

“She is in agreement,” River nodded. “May as well do as he says.”

“Yeah,” Riddick nodded and moved slowly to and through the door, loading the mule laboriously and heading back down with a pace a full step less quick than his usual walk. The next load was the last and he carried it up at the same plodding speed.

“Now, just so there’s no idea of funny business,” The tattooed man smirked. “You,” He gestured with his gun at Riddick. “You are gonna stay here and I’ll be taking your partner along with us. For insurance you understand.”

“Could find all sortsa uses for her,” The smaller man cackled and River felt her spine turn to ice.

“That would be a very, very, bad idea,” Riddick growled. “You think you’re gonna steal our mule and my woman on top of that? And our take?”

“Yeah, actually I do, or I’ll just put a couple holes in both of you.” The tattoos shifted as the man smirked in satisfaction. “Now, holster those weapons and come here,” He looked at River.

She slid her guns back into their holsters before she looked at Riddick and heard his intent clear as day in his thoughts. He still had five shivs, two at his wrists and three in his belt. She nodded and answered, “She has two.”

“No stalling,” She was ordered, and she turned her attention back to the crew holding a gun on her and her partner.

“Made a very big mistake,” She smiled. “Took the job, came light…”

“And you threatened my woman.” Riddick finished.

Quick as a flash his hands moved at the same time hers did, Riddick’s shivs hit Ott in the eye and the short man in the throat while hers hit the big man in the throat and the woman in the shoulder of the arm holding her gun. Before the enemy could react and switch hands River was on her, pulling the shiv out and slashing her throat.

“And no gunfire,” She smirked down at the dead.

“Nice and quiet,” Riddick turned to look at the formerly frightened customers who were now most sincerely terrified. “That’s what we coulda done to alla you. We didn’t. We’re leavin’ now. You’re blacked out and locked in for an hour and then the doors’ll open. Nobody’ll bleed out before the doors open so be easy on that.”

While he’d been speaking River had busied herself gathering the enemy’s weapons and cash. The weapons of the customers were locked in the vault just as they had the first jobs. “Bandages on the counter, salve and liquid stitches with it.” She informed them, pointing at the package they’d brought in.

Riddick moved to the door, his guns on the frightened crowd and waited for her to step through before he shut it and slapped the timed seal over the knob. “Let’s go. Then we can go kill something edible.” He suggested, and River nodded. He was wishing he’d had the time to kill the small man who’d threatened her slowly. To make him pay for giving her even a moment of fear.

“Good plan,” She climbed into the passenger seat and sighed in relief as he drove them away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: So now we know why Riddick was so worried. And hopefully River’s reassured him some. We’ve also seen how their jobs can go sideways through no fault of their own. It’s really not a good idea to cross them. They’re not very forgiving. Threaten River and Riddick is even less forgiving. 
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> pì gus (butts)
> 
> Cào nǐ zǔ zōng shí bā dài (fuck your ancestors to the eighteenth generation)
> 
> Quote Sources:
> 
> This fellow is wise enough to play the fool --Twelfth Night – William Shakespeare


	31. And Make Death Proud To Take Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's do 't after the high Roman fashion  
> And make death proud to take us. Come, away.  
> This case of that huge spirit now is cold.  
> Ah, women, women! Come. We have no friend  
> But resolution, and the briefest end.  
> -Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare

They got _Sanguine_ off the ground and moved her to a location better suited to hunting than robbing banks. Before he'd left though Riddick had given Kitten a thorough once over. They didn't often come up against folks who'd outright threaten rape but every now and then it happened. The first couple times Kitten had killed the men in question, bloodily, not that he disapproved. At all. Best kind of therapy as far as he was concerned, proving to herself that she'd never let it happen again. He had her back but she needed to know in her bones that she could defend herself.

"You going to be all right here alone?" He was gearing up for a hunt and looking forward to it but it wasn't anything he couldn't put off.

Kitten smiled at him and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. "His woman is fine. Man is dead. No drugs to pull her under and render her helpless. Felt good to know her partner is determined no one will touch her except him. Felt that you'd rather die than let someone ever touch me against my will again."

"Well yeah," He really didn't think that should be such a surprise. "Anyone ever touched you unwilling was always going to do it over my dead body. Dog's too for that matter."

"Never expressed such thoughts before," She explained with a gentle smile. "She Reads him, but she can't hear what he doesn't think."

That actually explained a lot. He nodded and kissed her, lingering over her mouth for a moment more. "I'll keep that in mind."

She indicated her trunk and cortex, "Will do some work while you hunt. Sort laundry and get dinner going. And see about Furya as much as I can."

"Thanks," He whistled for Dog, long and low so the animal would know this was a working trip and Dog bounced off the couch in excitement. "Yeah, it's been a while since we've been hunting. But we'll get a bunch of meat now."

"Have fun," Kitten grinned at him sunnily and he grinned back. The second trade station might have been a bit less smooth than the first but they still got twice the take as they'd intended when they took the job.

* * *

 

When he returned after about six hours he'd managed to get a buck and nearly a dozen rabbits. The deer would have to hang and the smell of the tanning hide wouldn't be pretty but for a good coat that would fit his Kitten and keep her warm he'd put up with a lot worse. He was hot blooded enough that the cold didn't bother him much but she shivered too easily for him to like that cheap coat she wore.

"Suggest setting something up in a passenger bunk, seal the vents or set up air purifiers while the hides are tanning," Kitten greeted him at the ramp of the boat before he could even try to type in his code. Dog licked her face enthusiastically and she wrinkled her nose but patted him all the same. "Yes, he is a mighty hunter. She is very proud and pleased. Go on eat dinner." She gave him a gentle shove and he charged across the bay and up the stairs.

"I figured to do it in the airlock, that way we could just wash out the blood while we were at the docks," Riddick told her as he carried the fruits of his labors into the ship.

"Could. But have been reading up on making blood sausage. Could sell it. Badger loves blood sausage," Kitten suggested with a grin. "Collect it in plastic containers. Buy casings and use the bits and pieces left from butchering."

"Could set down on Universe's moon after Beaumonde. Husk White Suns systems just as easy from there as Persephone right?" Riddick thought out loud.

"Easier actually," She nodded. "You think to use the intestines as casings…clean them out there and we won't have to purchase casings."

"And we've got the garden with the spices." He nodded back setting the buck into the corner of the airlock. "Think we're better off keeping the whole thing here though. Or the bay."

"Probably right," Kitten conceded. "Easier here. Will get the plastic containers." Her grin over her shoulder was wicked. "Riddick is a mighty hunter too."

"Oh?" He grinned. "What do I get?"

"Dinner…" She called back and then giggled, "And dessert."

* * *

 

Their trip back to Beaumonde went smoothly enough, though dealing with the twins was no less a headache when they were bringing them money. River shook her head, "Doubt they will ever get easier." She commented as they disembarked on Universe's moon. Idly she wondered if they would ever call it anything else and immediately doubted it. It was Universe's moon, he deserved that much.

"Yeah, I vote we try to avoid dealing with them unless the job is really good." Riddick suggested and she nodded her agreement.

"If he will set up for curing and tanning meat and hides she will begin husking the archives for mention of Furya." She offered, "Get a meal started and begin the work."

"Sounds good," He gave her a squeeze on the _pì gu_ and she jumped, blushing hotly. Her big man chortled in amusement. "You're just _tā mā de_ perfect."

River rolled her eyes at him and smacked his rear as she went past. That just got him laughing louder as she shook her head and went about setting up.

* * *

 

Two days later she was tired, frustrated and no closer to finding Furya. Another examination of Riddick's mind hadn't revealed anymore clues, though the face of a Necro kept appearing when she searched for Furya. So perhaps the Necros knew where it was, even if they hadn't taken Riddick there.

She rubbed at her forehead and began to set the systems for remote access again. It didn't help that Shirah nagged at her to leave Riddick every time she slept, constantly jabbing at her about her flaws and lack of true Furyan blood.

"No luck huh?" Riddick's hands slid under her knot of hair and began to rub her neck and shoulders.

"She is sorry," River shook her head. "If ever there was a record of it, it's been completely erased." She sighed and leaned back against him. "Had a thought though, couple of thoughts, actually."

"Yeah?" He didn't seem too worked up about her failure to find Furya in the White Sun archives and she Read that he'd always figured it was a long shot. He'd hoped but he hadn't gotten his hopes up too high. He was used to disappointment.

"Hmm… First thought was about Niska," She murmured and her big partner stiffened angrily.

"Don't see why we can't just blow him and his _tiān shā de_ skyplex out of the Black," He growled.

"The Missus is worse than the Mister," She said for the hundredth time. He had the same reaction every time she brought it up. His hand went unerringly to the site of her wound, reassuring himself that she was healed. "She truly is. If we kill Niska, even if we harm him, she will hound us 'til the ends of the Black. She will follow us like a bad smell. Worse than skunk."

His sigh was irritated but he nodded, "So what's your thought then."

"Niska is…very excited as to reputation," She reminded him. "Can use that to our advantage."

"Oh?" Riddick's dark silver eyes looked down at her with interest. "How's that? I mean somethin' we haven't thought of already."

"We don't approach Niska," River said simply. "We approach her. We explain that we also have a reputation. People who cross us regret it. Her husband betrayed our bargain. Betrayed his contractors to mercenaries out of greed. If we spread that about… His reputation will suffer and so will his business. Naughty folk won't want to work with or for him, for fear of being turned over. Nice people won't do business with such a _kě wù de lǎo bào jūn_."

"You think that's the play to make?" He was considering it seriously, especially knowing that she could husk Niska's systems for a recording of the entire incident.

"I think…" She sighed, "It's the only one we've got at the moment. Unless we could take both of them out, but that would be…" River frowned, "The odds are strongly against us. Even taking into account your ability to survive nearly anything and my training and Reading the odds are very bad."

"Well then let's try it," Riddick shrugged. "Worst that can happen is we're back where we started. Nobody knows about this place, so we've got a safe retreat if we need it."

"True." She took a breath. "The other thought… is about Furya."

"Yeah?" Riddick rubbed her back.

"Your mind…when I delve into it to find Furya… a face keeps appearing." River looked up at him. "You think of him when you think of the Necros. The one who sent you to Not Furya."

"Vaako," Her big man muttered grimly.

"Maybe we ought to go find the Necros." River suggested. "If they were the last ones to see Furya they must have some record of it. And even if there isn't a record, Vaako has seen it. You knew he was telling you the truth when he said he knew where it was. You could feel it."

"Necros… Kitten they aren't like anyone you've ever met, we can't know if you could even Read them," Riddick was frowning worriedly. "You don't know what they'll feel like to your mind. They're… they're like death. They don't even smell right. They don't feel alive."

She nodded, "Know that we can't even guess how they'll feel to me. But we have to try." His hand cupped her jaw and she pressed a kiss to his palm. "Can't keep on like this, those dreams with her… she's awful. We have to find it. Or we're never going to have any peace."

Riddick took a deep breath, "All right. First we deal with Niska. Then we'll look for the Necros."

* * *

 

Of course, it was never that simple.

It was no small feat to dig out someone's private cortex address. She'd described it as picking out a particular piece of straw in a stack of hay. Kitten had worked fourteen-hour days in front of the screens husking every lead she could find and more than were just plain old guesses. The basic difficulty of the task (which was considerable in his opinion) was compounded by the fact that the Niska's had considerable wealth and more than considerable paranoia. And once she had the address she still had to go through all of Niska's records and find the video record of his treachery. More than once Riddick had to pick her up and bring her to bed, rubbing her back and neck until she relaxed enough to sleep only to have her slip out of bed in the morning to continue working.

Since he wasn't of any use husking he'd taken the opportunity to research sausage making and gotten that process good and started while she'd worked on the cortex. It wasn't something for the squeamish though Dog had been disappointed to find all the tasty bits he liked were getting chopped up to stuff the sausage with. He'd gotten a few things but not nearly as much as he wanted so now Dog was cozying up to Kitten in the hopes of getting treats from her, only to be mostly ignored but for absent minded petting as she worked.

He'd gotten the deer hide nearly tanned and the meat butchered and frozen or dried by the time she was done. The sausage was still smoking and after it was done he'd have to get them frozen or vacuum sealed so they'd keep. He'd gotten a little of the meat and blood stuffing and made a patty out of it to check the taste and though he hadn't particularly cared for it, the end product looked comparable to the descriptions and captures he'd found in the encyclopedias. Luckily vacuum seal bags were cheap and they'd found several vacuum sealers along with other kitchen equipment on their last salvage job.

They made it a habit to catalog their inventory so Kitten had known exactly where the kitchen things were and with a little more research he'd figured out how to use the grinder and sausage stuffer. The trickiest part had been getting the fat ratio correct and keeping Dog from eating the finished sausages before they could be smoked.

By the time he'd gotten everything done and all the equipment cleaned and put away Kitten had found what they needed. It had taken longer than he'd thought but he guessed if she wasn't a genius it would have taken even longer, if it had gotten done at all.

"Found the video feed and downloaded it," She told him as he went back and forth with the equipment, getting it cleaned and then loaded onto _Sanguine_ in the galley cabinets. It made more sense to keep it there and do the grisly work in the bay or airlock rather than come back to the moon every time they needed to do some butchering.

"Yeah? He's got good security I guess," Riddick smiled and kissed the top of her head as he came over to look at the feed. He could feel the red drop over his eyes as he watched from Niska's angle, undoubtedly from a camera behind the desk, as Kitten moved towards the desk, taking the bag of coin, only to jerk sideways, blood blooming immediately over her shirt.

Watching her open the thug's femoral and growl at Niska was a thing of beauty, especially as she immediately afterward flung the same shiv into a guard's eye. "Turned the sound off," Kitten explained as they watched. "Full audio available. Shows us going into the vents and coming out. Leaving the station without killing her husband."

"Well, shall we send a wave and enlighten her as to how much damage we could really do?" Riddick sat beside Kitten so they could both be seen on the cortex screen. Dog came over and flopped on their feet, happy to be next to both of his people at the same time.

"Yes," Kitten nodded and engaged the firewalls that would prevent the wave from being traced. "Grateful we took precautions before agreeing to meet with Niska or even waved the assistant. No associations with _Sanguine_."

"Paranoia pays off," Riddick agreed and wrapped his arm around her waist. He didn't care if the woman figured he and Kitten were more than partners. If she had a brain in her head and knew anything about him she'd know how possessive he was and just how far he'd go for vengeance when he was crossed. "It's what time on Herschel?"

"Around mid-afternoon," Kitten probably could have given him the actual time down to the minute but she knew that wasn't really what he meant. Would their quarry be likely to answer a wave? "And she should. Multiple cortex signals in the residence." She paused and began to type, "Waving on a secure channel."

The screen did its peculiar blip, a line bouncing up and down and a slightly annoying tone whining as it connected and waited to be accepted or bounced to a message service. Kitten smirked and typed a few more lines of code, "We cannot be bounced to an answering service now. The cortex must be answered or it will keep chiming there is an incoming wave. All over."

Riddick chuckled, "You are something." He kissed her head again and inhaled her pleased scent.

Another minute and a slightly exasperated expression came on the screen, "Yes? Who is this?" The face was older, probably equal to Niska's though softer and slightly sweeter looking with fluffy white hair and a lace frill at her throat.

"Mrs. Adlai Niska?" Kitten used her most core voice as she confirmed the woman's identity.

"There's no need to state the incredibly obvious dear, the merely obvious will be fine," Mrs. Niska was a bit more sarcastic than her spouse apparently and Riddick smirked.

"Thought so," Kitten nodded. "I am Lillian Alba, of the Albatross cargo ship. This is my partner. He goes by Jon Richards."

"And what is that to me young lady?" Mrs. Niska had the air of a woman who didn't tolerate nonsense.

"We had occasion to do business with your husband." Kitten returned evenly. "Mr. Niska is acutely aware of his reputation I believe. Do you take the same interest in it?"

Now the woman's eyes sharpened and she looked less like someone's grandmother and more like the wife of a criminal king pin. "If you have any understanding of the word at all you know that reputation is everything."

Kitten nodded slowly, "The purest treasure mortal times afford is spotless reputation."

"We got a reputation of our own," Riddick spoke for the first time, dropping the Rim accent he affected most days for something closer to what his language had been before he'd sailed in the Alliance. "We do the job, we get paid. One way or the other. Folks know if we can't do a job we say so. But if we take it, we do it. We're reliable. Your husband said he liked that." He slid the goggles off and stopped angling his head so his eyes shone at the screen. "We did a job for your husband."

"And were you paid?" Mrs. Niska hadn't folded her arms but her back was ramrod straight as she looked at the screen.

"We're sending you a capture, several minutes long," Kitten's hands moved on the keyboard. "Scan it for viruses and malware, it's clean. Watch it. We will wait." The woman didn't reply, merely keyed something into her own cortex and waited. In the lower corner of their screen the video began to play in miniature, indicating Mrs. Niska was watching it.

Riddick kept his eyes on her face as she saw them escorted into the office and her husband began to speak. Her eyes darkened and her mouth tightened minutely as Niska's treachery became evident. The gunfire had her jaw set and Kitten's reaction got a slow blink of surprise. Their bloody escape didn't take long, compressed into video and the last shot was of their ship leaving the station.

"You can see how something like this, wouldn't reflect well on you or Mr. Niska," Riddick said pointedly. "As I understand it, turning a contractor over to mercs simply because you can, out of greed, doesn't encourage folks to do business with you."

"And I am certain you understand that we have connections, just as you do," Kitten added. "We might not have your money. But we do have friends, contacts and people who owe us favors. You might also have noticed, we're not exactly helpless as babes in the woods."

"Mercs have been after me ever since I escaped my first slam," Riddick said flatly. "Never ends well for them. Or anyone trying to take me."

"I take it you want me to influence my husband in some way?" Mrs. Niska asked dryly, her hands moving on her own cortex keys.

"Could have killed him," Kitten pointed out. "But I knew that would only bring your wrath down on our heads. You are far more deadly, ruthless and intelligent than he is. But a man must be the face of your business for the sake of appearances." Her smile was cold and a touch cruel. "My partner and I have no qualms about killing whoever comes after us. If you husband wishes to pursue this you will lose man after man until the entire 'Verse knows of the vendetta and the futility of it. And he will look weak. The weak are prey."

"Or?" The rosy cheeked grandmotherly looking woman asked. "I assume there's an 'or'."

"There is," Riddick smirked. "You go your way, we go ours. Your husband doesn't get it into his head to broadcast a contract to every merc and idiot on the darknet. Doesn't send people after us."

"And we will not pursue the vengeance we deserve to have," Kitten added. "We will no longer do business with your husband. Though if you contracted with us privately such a contract would be considered. And we will not speak of your husband's treachery. We trust that you will take steps to prevent him repeating such…short sighted actions in the future."

"You believe that's such a threat?" Mrs. Niska was clearly fishing. She had a very good idea of what they could do and how it would affect their business.

Kitten smiled and spelled it out for her, "Your business relies on contractors to do at least seventy percent of your work. You have all sorts working for you, but mostly they're people who skim or fracture the occasional law. If we put it about that your husband tried to turn my partner into mercs and tried to kill me, merely for money… Well no one else with any price on their head will want to do business with him because he cannot be trusted to keep a deal. If he turned us in what's to stop him from doing the same to others. And folks without the law after them wouldn't wish to do business with someone who works outside the law, lest the Purplebellies come after them."

"Plain and simple, we could cripple your business." Riddick said flatly. "It might take time. And it would take some effort on our part. Though less than you might think considering my partner's a genius and what she can do with a cortex isn't even half of it."

"Is the game worth the candle," Kitten smiled again, chilly as a core debutante. "Or will you tell your husband to give up attempting to hunt us for the imagined slight that we escaped his betrayal?" Her smile tilted into a wicked smirk as something flashed at the bottom of another screen. "And you might as well cease attempting a trace. You won't get a signal or location off this wave. We're as ghosts in this."

"I will speak to my husband and convince him of the error of his ways." Mrs. Niska was clearly thinking long term. "Should I wish to contract with you privately, do you have a contact?"

"Sending a cortex address to which you may address any such private business," Kitten typed something into the screen. "Good bye Mrs. Niska."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So rather than go and blow Niska up or sneak onto the skyplex and kill him I wanted our duo to circumvent him completely. We've had plenty of instances where they killed him, blew him up, killed Mrs. Niska… but they've never just gone around him and used what they knew to leverage their way out of trouble. So I wanted to try that. These two are smart enough to figure the odds. And I always thought that even if Riddick's first inclination is to kill someone who crossed him, he is smart enough to play a long game. Who knows…maybe Mrs. Niska will get sick of her husband eventually.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> pì gu (butt)
> 
> tā mā de (fucking)
> 
> tiān shā de (goddamn)
> 
> kě wù de lǎo bào jūn (horrible old tyrant)
> 
> Quote Sources:
> 
> The purest treasure mortal times afford is spotless reputation. – Richard II – William Shakespeare


	32. Now Could I Drink Hot Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now could I drink hot blood  
> And do such bitter business as the bitter day  
> Would quake to look on. Soft, now to my mother.—  
> O heart, lose not thy nature, let not ever  
> The soul of Nero enter this firm bosom.  
> Let me be cruel, not unnatural.  
> -Hamlet, William Shakespeare

River turned to look at her big man as she disconnected the wave. "Well, that went better than I thought it might."

"You think she'll do what she says?" Riddick was considering the potential problems if Mrs. Niska declined to influence her husband, his mind turning over the possibilities and the precautions they'd have to take in the future.

River nodded slowly, "She's much more practical than he is. As I said, more ruthless and smarter but he's a better face for the business than a sweet looking old lady. She sees the long-term benefits of an alliance with us whereas her husband only saw a quick payday."

"How'll we know she's keeping to the bargain?" One big hand was rubbing the back of her neck and she nearly purred as her muscles began to relax.

"Hmm… have tell-tales in their system now. Planted seeds while I was husking for the feed and looking for her address." River brought up her program and pointed at the data. "This represents Niska's contracts with mercenary guilds. In the red right now because the contract is active. When it goes black the contract has been cancelled. Blue means additional contracts with our names on them. If we see blue then we can start to play."

"Got that set to buzz if it changes?" Riddick wasn't so much asking as verifying.

"Feeds to every cortex on the boat and here. Alerts upon any change," She nodded. "Should start looking for the Necros now."

"That can wait a day or so. Want you to rest, sleep, not look at a cortex for a while," Riddick was adamant, and she could feel his stubbornness setting in. "You need to move, and not just from the couch to bed to the kitchen and back again. And sex don't count either." He added when she would have reminded him of their nighttime exercise.

"Will go out and run with Dog," She suggested. "Put something in the slow cooker and go breathe fresh air."

"Well, fresher air than this," Riddick grinned and kissed her. The warmth of his affection seemed to overflow into her as his lips rubbed over hers and she moaned into his mouth. "Or does my Kitten want to be petted."

"Very much," She pushed the cortex away from the couch and straddled him, rubbing her body against his and feeling his _diǎo_ harden in immediate reaction to her. It was a heady feeling, knowing how quickly his lust for her was triggered. His hands pushed down the back of her pants, cupping her _pì gu_ and pulling her shirt out.

"So _tā mā de_ gorgeous," He was muttering as he pulled her shirt open and pushed her bra out of the way. Glorious, hot, his mouth fastened around one of her nipples and began to suck, long slow pulls that tugged between her thighs and slicked her _yīn chún_ with need.

" _Āi yā_ Riddick…" She moaned and could feel his satisfaction as he smelt her arousal.

"You're gonna ride me Kitten," He was pulling her clothes off and yanking his shirt over his head, pulling his trousers open and shoving them off his legs. "Wanna feel you sink down around my cock and come."

River shuddered and wrapped her hand around him, stroking the hardness of his _jī ba_ as his mouth moved back and forth, teasing and sucking on her. "Riddick… please…" She moved, trying to position herself over his body, aching to be filled and his hands gripped her like iron keeping her in place.

"Not yet," He turned and lay down on the length of the couch, pulling her up so she was kneeling over his mouth. "You don't know how bad I want a taste of you Kitten." His big hands held her up, gripping her thighs and kept her _yīn dào_ over his lips, his tongue pushing deep inside her, lapping at her clit until she was trembling with need and moaning his name.

"Riddick, Riddick," She was going to fall, he wasn't stopping and she could feel it gathering, low and tight in her belly. "Riddick! I'm…" His lips surrounded her _yīn dì_ and sucked hard as if it was her tongue and she shrieked his name as her fall overtook her.

His groan of pleasure reverberated through her sensitive flesh as she shuddered and shook over him, lapping at her again and sucking, building pleasure upon pleasure until she was writhing and begging for him to fuck her, hands on her breasts, pulling and twisting her nipples in need. "So _tiān shā de_ beautiful, my woman," Riddick growled and lifted her again, easily, as if she weighed nothing, turning her so her spine faced his chest. "Now… take me in you Kitten."

She didn't know how it was that her brain turned to mush when he touched her. She couldn't do anything but obey, slowly pressing down on him, her hands gripping his thighs for balance as his _diǎo_ filled and stretched her around him. " _Āi yā_ … Ohh…" She was full to the bursting, struggling to take all of him until he slid home completely, balls deep in her. "Riddick…"

"That's it…my Kitten… fuck me…" He growled, one hand snaking around her hip and pressing on her stomach, flattening his palm there, his thumb on her clit, so she had to feel every inch of him moving inside her. His other hand slid up her ribs and cupped her breast, sitting up so his mouth could suck on her neck and spine. "Move your hips baby, my beautiful woman."

She shuddered and began to roll her hips slowly, mewling as the sensation of being filled and stroked so deeply intensified. She was wound so tightly around him, it felt as if the least little thing would send her bursting. His mouth was rubbing over the sensitive skin of her neck and spine, each touch eliciting a moan or gasp of pleasure. "Ohh… please… Riddick…my Riddick…"

"That's it," He praised, coaxing more out of her as his thumb began to slowly tease and rub her clit. "So hot and tight and wet around my cock Kitten." Riddick's mind was full of her, how she looked riding him, how he wanted to fill her, envisioning her with a toy stuffed up her slit and his cock pounding into her ass, how tight and hot she'd be. The images came with such a powerful wave of lust she moaned in reaction, nipples tight and eager for his fingertips to pull and tease them.

"Unghh… Riddick… I'm…" She shuddered as his hand came down to her hip and began to help her move more firmly.

"That's it… so good," He growled. "Come for me Kitten." She could feel his want, the need to have her climax around him, ready to fill her with his seed the moment she did.

" _Āi yā_! Riddick," She screamed his name as her fall crashed through her, his shout of pleasure echoing in her ears as he thrust hard into her twice more before grinding himself inside her, pushing into her womb and filling her.

"Fuck! Kitten!" He growled and held her tightly, his hips still rocking to her, already beginning to harden again inside her as she trembled around him.

"Ohh… Riddick, yes," She mewled and turned her head, kissing him, answering his unspoken question. "She wants it. Fuck her…everywhere. Yours…your Kitten."

His mind was a blaze of need as he realized she was saying yes to the fantasy he'd had and his _diǎo_ grew stiff as a rod inside her body.

* * *

 

He could hardly believe what he was hearing. He hadn't ever mentioned it, unsure if it was something she would even consider. And even though he'd known her for more than a year they'd only been sharing a bed for a month or so now. Truthfully, with most women he wouldn't care. If they didn't want that, no skin off his nose, they weren't his anyway. But his Kitten, so beautiful, responsive and uninhibited in her reactions, he wanted her in every way. Wanted to make her his in all ways possible. He needed to feel her surrender herself to him like that, bent over and willing, trusting that he'd take care of her. And the animal in him needed to dominate his woman, mark her as his, know that she'd never have another like him.

With a groan he pulled out of her tight clinging slit and grabbed their clothing, whistling for Dog and carrying her naked down to _Sanguine_. "Don't have what we need here," He was rock hard and aching already and the walk was doing nothing to abate that condition. Within minutes he had her in their room and opened a drawer in his desk removing some of the oils they used for massage. "No store toys, but I carved something for you," He told her, unable to keep his eyes off her naked body on their bed. He took the carving out of the drawer, a cylinder of wood barely an inch wide, coated and padded with soft leather and wool. "Seen 'em used."

"Never done this," She confessed, and he could smell a touch of uncertainty mixed with need. "He will teach her?"

He put the oils and toy he'd made for her on the bed. The toy he'd carved and made thinking of just this possibility while she'd slept. "I will. I'll make it good for you Kitten." He pulled her close and kissed her hungrily, "Only pleasure. I promise." He slicked his fingers with oil and slid them between her cheeks, rubbing and pressing gently while he sucked on her breasts again. His free hand slid between her thighs and began to gently tease her sensitive clit.

Soon she was moaning his name and squirming, gasping as one finger penetrated her carefully, a shudder rolling over her body, "Unghh… Riddick…"

He groaned against her skin, the way she moaned his name just made his cock throb to get inside her. "You want more Kitten?" She was so innocent of how much pleasure she could have, what he would do to make sure she never wanted to leave him. He was going to make sure she enjoyed everything they did together. Her first true lover and god help him he wanted to be her last.

"Please…" She nodded. "Yes…" He loved how the word dragged out as he slid another finger inside, letting her adjust before he began to scissor them and stretch her. The scent of her was making him crazy to have her. Up on her knees so he could fuck her hard in both holes. " _Āi yā_ , yes…please… Riddick," She mewled. "Fuck her like that… your Kitten."

"You want me to fuck you on your hands and knees Kitten?" He growled the question as his mouth sucked harder on her tits. She was moaning and arching to his lips and he loved how easy she could take him like this.

"Yes!" She nearly sobbed the answer as he toyed with her, refusing to increase the pressure enough for her to come. "Fuck your Kitten hard.

"No," He growled against her skin, adding a third finger and forcing himself to hold back when she simply gasped in pleasure and tried to push back onto his hand. The more she wanted the easier it would be for her, the better she'd feel. "Gonna take you slow and easy first… then hard later. My Kitten."

"Riddick…" She moaned his name and he pressed a hard, possessive kiss to her mouth before helping her up on her hands and knees, adding more of the oils to his cock and the toy. "Please… please…"

He groaned at the sight of her pretty ass, ripe and ready for him and carefully began to press the toy inside her. It wasn't as wide as he was, not as long either, but she'd feel nice and full and even more so once his cock was in her ass. Her long low moan of pleasure as she was filled sent blood pounding through him and he rubbed the head of his cock against the rosebud of her ass. "Tell me you want it Kitten… Won't do anything you don't want."

She was shuddering, need boiling off her skin, honey in his nose and the sound of her saying his name in that almost begging tone went straight to his dick, "Riddick…fuck me…fuck my _pì gu_... Come in me…"

He groaned and began to slowly press forward, careful and deliberate as she gasped and mewled stretching around his cock, one hand on her hips to steady her, the other tugging and teasing her pretty tits, making her shiver as she took him in. "Unghh… _cào dàn_ …Kitten you're so damn tight… _Tiān shā de_!" He felt her shudder as he went balls deep and reached around her body to rub her clit, rocking slowly inside her and praising her. "So good baby…feel my cock deep in you…my Kitten… perfect, beautiful Kitten."

Her moan as he began to massage that sensitive bud came from her throat and she shuddered, hips rolling back to his as he stopped teasing her and gave her what she needed, fingers rubbing her clit purposefully. She was going to come while he fucked her ass, he wanted to feel that, wanted her to know how good it could be for her, that he'd take care of her. "That's it Kitten, my River, my woman… come for your Riddick." He growled meeting her hips and thrusting into her. "Come for me Kitten."

"Riddick!" Her wail of pleasure echoed around them as she came hard, every muscle clenching and spasming hotly, pushing back onto him. Not done with her by a long shot he kept moving, kept the toy moving inside her, fucking her through her orgasm and driving her on towards another. "Unghh… ohhh god…"

"That's right…" He growled and judged she could take what he had for her now, pulling her back up so her spine pressed to his chest and giving her pretty ass a little squeeze of approval. "Take it Kitten. All of it." Her throat was arched, head back against his shoulder as she shuddered with bliss, his hands relentless, squeezing and rubbing her tits and tugging on her clit as he pounded into her, moving the toy to match his thrusts. "Can feel how much you like this… love to feel you come around me Kitten. So hot and wet, so tight for me. My Kitten."

He loved how it felt when she began to come, her body gathering around his and then a flash of exquisite tension before she exploded, wetness soaking his balls, her shriek of his name better than anything in the 'verse. "Again baby," He coaxed, ready to fill her, his hips slamming into her ass, balls drawing up, wet with her juices. "Gonna fill you up…come with me Kitten. My woman… Mine…" He snarled as she mewled his name and gave her clit a sharp pinch, tugging on her tits at the same time. "Come for me Kitten."

She screamed, thrashing, bucking back to him as she came, shaking violently and he snarled again, ready to sink his teeth into that gorgeous nape and mark her as his for everyone to see. He could barely restrain the animal as he came, a torrent of hot seed to fill up her gorgeous ass, panting and sweating with the strain of it.

Kitten nearly fell, her final release making her weak and he gently lowered her to the bed, pulling out of her body carefully and removing the toy to be cleaned. He kissed her gently where he'd wanted so badly to bite down and grabbed a towel, cleaning her up tenderly and then wiping himself down before wrapping his body around hers. "Mine." He growled in satisfaction.

"His." She murmured her agreement. "Mine."

"Yours," He agreed quietly. "Yours." And he was. He wasn't going to push this, consider it too much or worry on it. But he liked that he was her Riddick.

* * *

 

She slept, exhausted for several hours, wrapped in his arms while he alternately dozed and thought about where the Necros would be. And worried about how they'd effect his little woman. So far they hadn't found any mention of Furya as a colonized planet in the archives on Sihnon and Londinium. And if Kitten hadn't found Furya there it simply wasn't there to be found. She'd mentioned it wouldn't be the first time a world had been settled and no one bothered to inform the Alliance about it. The further out the world, the more likely it was that the Alliance was uninformed. He doubted they knew anything about the Outerzone at all.

When he'd broken off a ship and traveled with Krone to Not Furya the Necros had been headed into the darker reaches of space. But that could change depending on who was made Lord Marshall. Krone no doubt would return boasting of having killed Riddick. Vaako, not being stupid, would kill him quickly and become Lord Marshall himself. You keep what you kill.

But any army, even an army that considered itself dead, left a trail. And the Necros were no different. On Helion Prime it had been said they were preceded by the comet. In actuality the comet was several Conquest Icons shot ahead of the Necromonger fleet. If they found some mention of that comet they'd have the trail.

He had little doubt that he and Kitten would be able to find the Necros. But that would only be the beginning of their troubles. Necromonger life was stark but at the same time luxurious. He'd lived among them for five years. Sure they'd turned on him, that wasn't surprising, death was their way of life. And he hadn't seen it coming because he'd gotten soft, civilized, like Dog with a collar.

Kitten was another issue entirely. Her touch inflamed his lusts like no other woman ever had. Just looking at her could have him hard and ready. And that was completely ignoring the satisfaction he felt having her in his arms. The burning in his chest whenever she expressed her trust and affection for him. The day she'd told him she loved him he'd felt as if a bonfire had been built between his lungs. It was eerily close to how the Wrath had felt, but there'd been nothing angry about it, no urge to destroy. It was warmth he felt all through his body, until he just wanted to hold her and kiss her, promise her anything, make her promise to never leave him.

It was a weakness, the need he had for her. He wasn't dependent, but he wanted her around. And he couldn't bring himself to examine that warmth too closely. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt it. Didn't want to. Didn't even want to consider it. All he wanted was to keep her, at his side, for the rest of his life. That was pure foolishness because he knew damn well that everyone left him eventually. Through death or their own choices. Everyone leaves. And the idea of that sent ice like a shiv through his belly. The thoughts he'd had of her, of wanting to be her only lover, of never letting her go…he'd never let himself want like that before. Was he getting too soft over her? Over the life they'd built together?

And wasn't that another form of civilization?

" _Bóna ná coróin_ ," He repeated the words he'd been hearing in dreams all his life. Echoes of the past, a time when Shirah was only a whisper. He'd finally been able to translate them when he was a kid in juvenile hall. Some ancient language, only spoken on a few planets anymore, they meant 'neither collar nor crown'. Apparently, that was just another way of saying 'Furyans, defiant to the end'.

"Riddick worries he will become the tame wolf. In chains brought – a wolf to town," Kitten mumbled as she nuzzled his neck and kissed his pulse affectionately. "He is being silly. Has not dulled his own edge. Nothing tame about him. No collar on his neck. Hasn't made himself guilty of the worst crime."

"No?" He wasn't so sure. He couldn't be really. He'd never lived like this before, like a person, not since before he'd escaped his first slam. He wasn't on the run, though he and Kitten were both cautious.

"No." She propped her head up on her hand and studied him. "He is not civilized. Someone tries to cheat us, what is his first instinct?"

"Gut 'em," He replied promptly with an evil grin.

"Exactly." Kitten's sweet mouth smirked wickedly back at him. "Not 'get our money', not 'threaten them'. Kill them and take what is ours. Not civilized." She lifted one shoulder in a shrug, "Compared to normal folk, law abiding citizens, at least. But we are not law abiding. And we will not let anyone cross us without paying a price."

"Not the same as living on Not Furya," He pointed out, curious as to her response.

"Riddick is being obtuse." She rolled her eyes at him, "The hunt is not always on the ground. Not always for food. Our edge is kept sharp by constant work. We cannot let our guard down because there is always someone who will try to take what we have." Kitten considered for a moment and looked at him, "If mercs took the boat, would he hesitate to kill them?"

"Fuck no," Riddick shook his head. "Only if they had you. And even then, I'd find a way to get to them, get you free. Then we'd both go on a killing spree." His blood boiled at the thought of mercs getting their hands on her again, touching his woman. That was never going to happen again. Never. Not while he was alive.

"So, if someone needs killing, deserves killing, he has no qualms." She nodded. "He expects treachery at every turn, except from her." Her scent trilled with uncertainty and sorrow. "Maybe Riddick thinks having a woman, a partner, makes him too civilized?"

He growled, "That ain't it." He shook his head ignoring his own uncertainties about the same thing. "I don't know… guess I'm just worried I'll get taken off guard again. You're the first person I've trusted since Jack and Abu were killed."

"Riddick will not be taken off guard." Kitten shook her head and kissed him. "She will guard his back. And he knows we will not be staying. Find what we want and leave." She considered for a moment, "What does he know about Necromonger communications and cortex workings?"

"Different than ours," He said promptly. "They use these folks called the Quasi Dead to communicate. Guess they had trouble with their waves getting husked so they speak through these things.. They're psychics but not like you, they really are things. They're barely alive. And the Greater Quasi Dead…" Riddick shook his head remembering the pain of his interrogation. "They're…not good."

"Hmm…and the cortex equipment?"

He thought about that a bit, "Don't think it's too much different. But you might have compatibility issues. Don't recall any of it being as slick as what you've been using. The merc boat seemed more complicated."

Kitten nodded, "I'll do a search for the comet. See if Badger's heard anything. Krone dropped you out past Blue Sun. Might be they were passing close to the Alliance and that's why they set you down there."

Riddick rubbed his face, "We think about this too much we'll get a headache. I'll start getting the _Sanguine_ packed up if you'll fix us something quick to eat and wave Badger. If we're going to go hunting Necros we'll need to lay in supplies. Maybe a quick job on our way out of the system."

"I'll ask if he's interested in the sausage while I've got him on screen." Kitten smiled and kissed him, pushing herself up and stretching under his admiring gaze.

* * *

 

Riddick glanced over at Kitten and took a deep breath. They'd found the Necros.

That made it sound like they'd been following a trail of pebbles like that stupid story Kitten told Dog about the abusive parents who abandoned their kids in the woods. What they'd done was more like following the breadcrumbs later in the story. Badger had really come through for them.

The information hadn't been free. They'd spent a week on Persephone, with Kitten doing cortex programming for Badger under contract and Riddick working as muscle for Badger, which at least kept him in the same room as Kitten. He'd been the one to make that condition, not wanting anyone to bother her.

But in the end, Badger had gotten them into a club he owned, where Purplebelly higher ups and officers tended to congregate. Kitten had sat at a nearby table while Badger stopped by the Purplebellies' table and acted the concerned host. He'd dropped into conversation the sighting of a comet near Blue Sun and the government men had tensed, saying something about a comet spotted further out but it was nothing to worry about. Kitten had looked at Riddick with a smile.

She'd had to husk military systems, which necessitated them going back to Universe's moon. But they had the consolation of knowing they were headed in the right direction at least. They'd traded with Badger for the blood sausage and gotten loaded up with foodstuffs, dried and canned, to supplement what they'd harvested from the garden. And they'd been on their way, fueling up and sailing out of the Alliance systems at hard burn.

He'd seriously considered picking up a ship that wasn't so blatantly Alliance in its silhouette, something stolen and disposable but in the end he and Kitten had both decided that a ship they knew inside and out was better. If things went sideways and they had to leave in a hurry _Sanguine_ was a better bet than a strange ship. But there was one thing a merc boat had that _Sanguine_ didn't. They had added that one particular thing before they'd left their base on Universe's moon.

Knorrs had been used during the war as blockade runners and scout ships, the sight of them so commonplace they were all but ignored unless blatantly breaking the law. Part of the reasoning behind that had been the way the ship's hull had lent itself to alteration and the addition of gun ports. _Sanguine_ had been one of those ships and her guns had been removed when she'd been decommissioned for sale. But the ports were still there.

When they'd bought the boat Kitten had said they'd be good for disbursement of caltrops, that was what she'd called the various gadgets that drew ordnance away from a boat. But when they'd made the decision to find the Necromongers, Riddick had made a deal with Badger for the kind of cannons that would work in a vacuum, well enough to cripple an enemy ship. Badger had needed the kind of work done that wasn't easy for anyone but someone like Riddick or Kitten. Killing mercs wasn't a hardship, it was just unexpected that they'd be interested in Badger. Of course, they hadn't mentioned that little thing to Badger, making out like it was a risk and how difficult it would be to take on twelve mercs, just the two of them.

In the end they'd gone back to Badger's den, a few streaks of blood still on their clothes and presented the proof. Badger had gotten the cannons loaded onto _Sanguine_ in the dead of night without any further bargaining.

He hoped they wouldn't be needed but he'd flown enough gunships that he could pilot just as easily with them as without. Kitten had simply nodded her agreement and with her able to crawl inside the gunports it had only taken a day of their time to get the weaponry installed and connected to the ships controls.

Kitten had used some of their free time sailing to increase the range and sensitivity of their sensors after the weapons had been calibrated and tested. And when they'd reached the Helion system she'd begun scanning for transmissions, of any kind.

It had taken them weeks to reach the Helion system and then they hadn't found any transmissions to do with the Necros or the comet for another week of sailing the system. The Necros had left when Riddick had killed Zhylaw and the last he'd seen them they'd been leaving Helion. He'd told them to set a course for the Outerzone but anything could have happened if Vaako had taken up the mantle of Lord Marshall.

Finally, at the edge of Helion, Kitten had picked up a signal, warning of a comet sighted in the night skies near Proxima system. Proxima was another several weeks journey at least. The Conquest Icons would hit the planet soon, creating waves of destruction before they released the fighters. That meant by the time they got there, likely Proxima Prime would already be devastated. But the Necromongers would have slowed their progress in order to take the planet. Landing and launching the Basilica and Fleet was not a quick process.

"Transmission has been broadcast on a wide band, made to go as far as possible." Kitten had commented as she deciphered the slightly staticky message. "Designed to use anything to boost it. Uses _Sanguine_ as a relay, the way Universe and the Alliance used the ion cloud."

"And it's coming out of Proxima?" Riddick had brought up the star charts. "That makes a weird sort of sense. Blue Sun's here, they dropped me out there," He pointed to the left of Blue Sun on the screen. "And Proxima's out here." He pointed above and to the right of Blue Sun. "Give or take a few kilometers. Or light years."

"They take their time," Kitten observed. "Been a while since they left you. They haven't gone far."

"They don't care about time," Riddick explained. "They only care about harvesting as big of an army as they can. They don't use cryo except to conserve their strength. And they don't care about fuel. They'll just take another planet to feed their engines."

Kitten shook her head, "Herd of cattle stampeding." She began to recalibrate the sensors, attuning them towards Proxima. Soon she'd been buried in the work of interpreting the various messages and Riddick had set their course for the Proxima system.

Now they were at the edge of the fleet, just out of sensor range, and Kitten was studying the ships. "Very odd. Like birds of prey but not."

"Ugly fuckers," Riddick noted. "You okay?"

Kitten nodded, "Very curious about cortex compatibility. Will test their systems during your wave."

Riddick leaned over and kissed her firmly on the mouth, "We get this done and we can get that crazy bitch in our dreams to shut up once and for all."

"Yes please." Kitten agreed with a grimace. "Ready to open a channel."

He took a deep breath and nodded, "Go ahead." The screen flickered and sprang to life as Kitten's unique brand of genius invaded the Necromonger frequencies. "This is Lord Marshal Riddick. Vaako, I don't appreciate being sent on a wild goose chase and there's gonna be hell to pay." He put the ship into cruising speed and headed straight for the Basilica. "And if any of you even think of firing on my ship I'll slit your throats before you can say 'due time'. I'm docking in bay three. Vaako if you aren't there when I step off my ship I will personally hunt you down and execute you and that snake you call a wife." He hit the switch to close the wave and smirked in satisfaction as seven Warrior ships fell into an escort pattern around them, the rest of them dipping their 'heads' in the salute to the Lord Marshall.

Kitten watched silently for a few minutes before commenting, "They do not question that it's you."

"I'm the only 'breeder' Lord Marshall they've had. I'm not exactly forgettable." He explained, "Plus they know my voice. I put an end to their 'purifying' and 'converting' and destroying worlds while I was in charge and they were a little irritable about that."

Kitten nodded, "Their minds are…different. They're not dead…but they don't feel emotions the way we do. Not fear or love. They feel pain. But even that… it's dulled."

"It's their conversion process, one huge pain which dulls every other," Riddick said grimly recalling the way Jack had looked. "And if you don't feel pain, of any kind, you don't have fear. Kill one emotion and it seems to dull or kill every other emotion. Everything with them is physical. All they want is to bring the biggest army they can to the Underverse."

Kitten looked around the armada, "They don't seem very maneuverable." She observed thoughtfully.

"That's because they're not. The smaller ships, the fighters, they're very agile, but the rest?" Riddick began guiding the _Sanguine_ into the bay of the Basilica. "They're dangerous because they're like an avalanche. Everything in their way gets crushed." He glanced at her in concern, "How's your head?"

"Not bothered, strangely enough," She had that odd scent to her, as if she'd opened herself up a bit more, taking in the fleet of minds. "None of them are roused to passion, beyond the physical, so they aren't hurting me. Not sure what they'd feel like if they got angry though."

Riddick looked at her again, "Pretty sure that when you meet Vaako you'll find out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Soo…sorry about that. Riddick kinda took over for a bit there and things went lemon shaped. But we're back on track and oh boy… Necros. This should be fun huh?
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> diǎo (cock)
> 
> pì gu (butt)
> 
> tā mā de (fucking)
> 
> yīn chún (labia)
> 
> Āi yā (interjection of wonder, shock or admiration)
> 
> yīn dào (vagina)
> 
> jī ba (dick / penis)
> 
> yīn dì (clitoris)
> 
> tiān shā de (goddamn)
> 
> cào dàn (damn it! / fuck! (vulgar))
> 
> Quote Sources:
> 
> In chains brought – a wolf to town - Ní Bóna Ná Coróin – Robin Herne


	33. And Do Such Bitter Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now could I drink hot blood  
> And do such bitter business as the bitter day  
> Would quake to look on. Soft, now to my mother.—  
> O heart, lose not thy nature, let not ever  
> The soul of Nero enter this firm bosom.  
> Let me be cruel, not unnatural.  
> \--Hamlet, William Shakespeare

For once River didn’t have the words to explain how the Necromongers felt in her mind. It was a distinctly odd feeling, being without a way to tell Riddick about the sensations, as well as the way this strange people felt to her extra senses. They had emotions but very few of them were strongly felt. Rage and lust were the strongest and even those normally hot feelings were weirdly chilled. As if their entire world was cold and dulled. “If the rest of the ‘Verse is an ocean…a river… if the ‘Verse is water… they are… they are like rock. Unchanging until they crumble. Hard and difficult to wear away.”

“Feels weird huh?” Riddick shot her a look and she could feel his concern.

“Very, very strange; doesn’t hurt,” She reassured him quietly as they drew closer to the huge ship he called the _Basilica_. “This is the ship with the city inside it?” She’d seen it in his memories, but any memory would be skewed slightly by emotions and she was interested to see if the ship was as ugly and disturbing as he remembered it.

“Yeah, the _Basilica_ holds the Necropolis that’s their temple,” He nodded as he guided the _Sanguine_ into what must be bay three. “They dug the whole _gāi sǐ_ thing up and put it on this ugly boat. And it is _tiān shā de_ fugly. You won’t believe what they call art.”

The bay doors closed behind them and he landed the ship. “How’d that test of their systems go?”

“Compatible, mostly,” She began to work on the cortex, setting the ship into the mode they’d called ‘guard’. “A few differences, vocabulary I think… But I believe you’re correct, their cortex isn’t as advanced as Alliance tech, and very far removed in sophistication from mine.” She looked out the bridge window at the tall figure standing by the doors to the rest of the ship. “Think your Vaako is here.”

“He’s not mine,” Riddick stood. “Before we get off our ship, don’t let anyone push you around. They’ll try to test you. The women are… odd. They’re not warriors. They’re for pleasure so you’re gonna stymie them some. And the men…pretty much do what they want if they can get away with it.”

“They’ll be testing us both,” River nodded. “Rules of engagement?”

“Kill anyone you want Kitten,” He told her flatly. “I don’t care about any of them and if they try for you they deserve to die. I don’t care who they are or who raises a fuss. Wipe the floor with them.”

“All right,” She nodded. “And Dog?”

“We’ll have to keep an eye on him but same goes.” He watched as she set all the alarms and slid her cortex into the satchel at her waist. “Keep your sword and axe on you always, and as many shivs as you can. Guns too. This is no place to be unarmed. And we both wear those wrist sheaths I made for us, even when we’re sleeping.”

She nodded. They’d gone over this several times already but it seemed to reassure him to repeat it once more. He felt about Necros the way she had about Adlai Niska, “Locking everything down. True voice recognition access only.”

“Good,” He nodded as they left the bridge. “Let’s gear up and we’ll go down and you can meet Vaako. Be interested to hear what you find in his head. About me and Furya.”

“Clothing and belongings?” She asked as the bridge sealed shut behind them. That was something neither of them had thought to address.

“If we leave in a hurry we won’t be able to stop for luggage,” He shook his head. “I’d say one change of clothes and that’s it. They can provide whatever we need.”

“Ammunition is priority then.” She nodded. “Should we leave Dog here? Rather than bring him aboard?”

“Rather keep an eye on him. But he stays with you or me. Always.” Dog came up to him as Riddick spoke and sniffed at the two of them. River watched with a smile as Riddick spoke to Dog as if he were a person. Which in his way he was. “This ain’t a friendly place. You stay with Kitten or you’re with me. No exploring. You’re the bodyguard. Got it?”

Dog had looked from Riddick’s face to River’s and gave a sharp bark, moving to River’s side and nudging her affectionately. River grinned down at him and nodded at Riddick, “He understands.”

“Reading him now too?” Riddick grinned at her and she shrugged. Five minutes later she had a set of clothing and several boxes of ammunition in her satchel. Her body armor was snug under her shirt but it would provide the protection he worried she would need.

“Riddick must wear his armor too,” She reminded him and he tapped his chest.

“I got it on. Necros make shit armor, shivs go through it like a hot knife through butter. So they try anything they’ll be in for a surprise.” He was sliding extra shivs into his belt and boots as he spoke, checking the fit of the wrist sheaths again and taking her hands to check hers as well. “Hell if we have to sleep there I half want us to wear it then.”

River tilted her head at him and he explained quietly, “We don’t know how long it’s going to take us. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to help because I’ll have to be ‘Lord Marshall Riddick’ and that can be time consuming.”

“Ah,” She nodded her understanding. “She will gather information while he is the distraction.”

“Just another kind of heist.” He grinned at her and she smiled back at him. No need to mention the potential problems that were on both their minds. Talking about it wouldn’t change the situation.

* * *

 

Commander Vaako was an imposing figure, if you’d never met Riddick, or the Operative for that matter. Compared to the Furyan, Vaako was a cold pale imitation of a man. And when she contrasted him with the Operative Vaako seemed almost undisciplined and nervy. The minute shifting of the Commander as Riddick approached belied his nerves. The Operative was still as a stone or had been when his faith was intact. River tilted her head curiously as she and Riddick descended the ramp. Dog stayed at her side as she keyed the locks, Riddick moving forward towards the Necro. The ramp closed and sealed and her cortex chimed quietly from her satchel before she and Dog walked without hurry towards Riddick to stand at his side.

“Kitten, this is Vaako,” Riddick introduced her. “That’s Vaako’s wife. Dame Vaako. If she’s got another name I’ve never heard it.” The woman standing just behind and to the left of her husband was tall and wore a dress that could only be described as slinky.

“And who is this?” Dame Vaako eased forward to slide her arm through her husbands.

“My woman,” Riddick was looking at them as if daring to them to challenge him.

“And how should we address her?” Dame Vaako purred the question as she looked down her nose at River. River almost laughed; this woman thought she was intimidating. She wasn’t even close to such a thing. Core society matrons would laugh at her posturing. A Companion would just raise an eyebrow at such an obvious ploy and overdone body language. If the woman Riddick had theorized was one of the most powerful females of the Necromongers couldn’t do subtle this might be easier than they’d thought.

“However you’d address the Lord Marshall’s lady,” Riddick snarled. “Long as its respectful.”

River smiled up at her big man, “Forgetting someone.” She reminded him with a mischievous quirk of her lips. His mind flared with answering amusement though his face remained expressionless.

“Yeah,” He nodded and indicated Dog. “This is Dog. He’s either with Kitten or me.”

Vaako actually looked nonplussed for a moment and even Dame Vaako’s perfect smiling face slipped. “An…animal my Lord?”

“Got him on that planet Krone left me on.” Riddick smirked, “Which was not Furya, by the way. I don’t like it when people lie to me Vaako. It sets my teeth on edge.”

“Irksome,” River commented, petting Dog’s throat while she studied the couple before her. The woman was scheming and petty, ambitious in the way of Lady MacBeth but with much less conscience. “Thou wouldst be great, art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it,” She murmured thoughtfully.

Riddick glanced at her and she nodded. He remembered her reading MacBeth aloud and the ambition of Lady MacBeth versus the ambition and lack of will in her lord. “Well I wondered,” He remarked. “Makes a certain amount of sense.”

Vaako looked impassive despite the unease River felt in him and Dame Vaako forgot herself so much as to frown before her expression smoothed out again. “In your absence the fleet has needed direction.” Vaako chose not to address River’s remarks at all. “I have endeavored to guide them.”

“Yeah, I’ll just bet,” Riddick just stared at him. “I suppose we might as well get to work.” He looked at River. “You said you wanted to see if there was a library.”

“Very eager to learn about the history of my lord’s people,” River nodded.

“We have an excellent library,” Dame Vaako told her. “I’d be pleased to show you the way.”

“First our rooms,” Riddick shook his head. “I want her to know where they are. And not the same ones as last time. Place still reeked of old blood when I left and Dog sneezes easy. Just make sure the bed’s big enough for me and Kitten. Otherwise we can rest on our private ship. But I don’t think you want that.” River saw in his mind his surety that Vaako and Dame Vaako had taken the Lord Marshall’s quarters and he was in no hurry to deal with that mess.

“No, of course not,” Dame Vaako shook her head slanting a glance at her husband. “Perhaps…the suite nearby. I believe it was former Lord Marshall Kryll’s?”

Vaako nodded and Riddick began to move forward, Vaako falling into step beside and slightly behind him while River and Dame Vaako followed. “So Vaako,” Riddick’s voice was a quiet threat. “There a good reason you didn’t send me to Furya?”

River smiled at his back, aware he was asking so she could follow the trail of the memory into Vaak’'s mind, if there was anything to follow. Sure enough, the mention of Furya was enough to trigger a memory in Vaako’s mind. An attack on a planet from the air when he was barely old enough to fight, not long after his conversion. The destruction on the planet was epic but still the warriors of that world resisted. When it came to ground fighting each of those warriors killed at least a hundred with their weapons. And after their ammunition was gone, each killed at least thirty more Necromongers in hand to hand combat. Vaako knew with absolute certainty that if that enemy had that firepower and manpower still today, they would beat the Necromongers. Staring him right in the eye was the last of those great warriors. Just as unconquerable. Just as deadly. Riddick looked just like the warriors Vaako saw as a youth. The Commander didn’t find it at all surprising to learn that Riddick wasn’t dead. Hard to kill practically defined Furyans.

River blinked as Vaako answered another question of Riddick’s and the memory of Furya receded. Vaako knew where Furya was. Why had he sent Riddick somewhere else? What would be the point? So long as Riddick was gone. Sending him on a wild goose chase would have only resulted in Riddick returning, as he had, and even more irritated than before he’d left.

* * *

 

Kitten was Reading either Vaako or Dame Vaako, he couldn’t tell which. She didn’t have any pain in her scent, which was a relief. But she didn’t seem exactly satisfied either. He glanced back at her and was given a smile but nothing else and he guessed she’d found something but not much.

Vaako seemed anxious to get him to the war council and Riddick guessed that the army was getting itchy to either conquer or head for their stupid Underverse. He’d bet it was conquering. The Commanders were a bloodthirsty bunch for all that they didn’t have much human feeling for anything anymore.

“Later,” He cut Vaako off with a wave of his hand. “Show me the rooms. Give me a couple hours. Bring the reports of the fleet’s progress. I’ll read them while Kitten gets settled in.”

“Of course,” Vaako seemed a bit surprised Riddick was willing to read the reports but he didn’t comment on it. Their walk led them to the hall Riddick knew very well from his last residence here and across from his old suite and two doors down Dame Vaako moved ahead and flung the doors open.

Opulent wasn’t the word. Garish and over the top might fit but both were far too mild for the crazy he was seeing. “Looks like a circus threw up in here,” He muttered.

Kitten was blinking at the sight of the suite and he caught her mutter of, “ _Yòng yí gè ā ěr dé wǎ kè cāo wǒ de liǎn_.” That was a new one. She must have been saving it for something particularly appalling.

He guessed he was lucky he didn’t see colors well anymore. Which reminded him… “Go find a pair of the goggles I had made before,” He commanded Vaako. “Or send someone else. I don’t care. Krone broke my last ones and I’ve been too busy to have new made. And if that son of a bitch is still alive you send him here. I’d like a word or five before I sink a knife into his belly and carve my way up to his collarbone.”

“He is not my Lord,” Vaako shook his head even as Dame Vaako hurried out of the room, presumably to send word of his need for new goggles. “I executed him in your name for his treachery.”

Riddick rolled his eyes, “Yeah, the treachery you put him up to. Don’t know why I bothered to ask.” He shook his head and looked at Kitten. “What do you think? Will it do?”

Kitten shrugged, elaborately unimpressed. “I suppose… Not as nice as where I grew up. Barely suitable but adequate. If a bit…ostentatious.” Her nose wrinkled as if in distaste, “From the way you spoke I expected elegance. Restrained, minimalist furnishings. Wouldn’t have thought a society that worships death would have décor so…overwrought.”

Riddick had to struggle to keep a straight face at that and Vaako’s expression nearly cracked at Kitten’s statement. He moved over towards her, putting his back to Vaako and rubbed her neck. “Maybe you could fix it up?”

“I suppose I must or we’ll be doomed to live in this mess,” She shook her head. “Such…melodrama… Appalling.”

“It hasn’t changed since Lord Marshall Kryll’s time,” Vaako’s voice sound a bit strangled. “If it doesn’t suit there are a number of suites available.”

“Maybe,” Kitten shrugged. “After the library perhaps Dame Vaako would be willing to show them to me.”

Dame Vaako reappeared in the doorway on the heels of her words, “Your eyewear is being fetched my Lord.” She smiled. “How else may we serve?”

“The suite is…” Vaako struggled for a moment to find a diplomatic way of expressing Kitten’s disgust with the decorating. “Not to Lady Riddick’s taste. She hopes perhaps another will appeal to her aesthetic and that you will show her the others available after the two of you visit the library.”

“Of course,” Dame Vaako nodded. “And we’ll have to arrange a proper wardrobe as well. The Lord Marshall’s Lady must be known.”

“Pretty sure you don’t have anyone else like Kitten,” Riddick commented dryly. “I’d say that makes her known enough. You think anybody’ll mistake her for one of your whores?”

“Doubtful,” Vaako’s voice was dry, with the hint of humor that made Riddick want to like him sometimes. “But a change of clothing might be welcome. Surely something could be arranged to her taste.”

Dog sneezed loudly and Riddick looked at him, “Yeah I know, bugs me too.”

Kitten nodded and moved towards the vents, shutting them. “Please have them stop blowing incense into the fans. For someone of our senses it’s simply an irritant.”

“Your senses?” Dame Vaako had the nerve to ask. Which wasn’t surprising. She’d always had enough nerve for two women and her husband along with them.

Riddick smirked, “Yeah. Furyan senses.” He pushed his goggles up and smiled down at his woman. “Kitten’s got Furyan blood in her.”

The look of shocked horror on Dame Vaako’s face and surprise on Vaako’s before they schooled their expressions made the statement even funnier. That it was true made their interpretation even more amusing. Truth was better than a lie sometimes.

“She…doesn’t have your eyes,” Dame Vaako recovered first.

“The women don’t,” Vaako’s answer was absent-minded as he took in the existence of a Furyan woman. “Only the men. The women…” He stopped and shook his head.

Kitten had followed the thought that apparently continued even though his words had ceased, “The women have other gifts.” She smiled, the smile of a cat who’d found the mousehole. “And we are just as deadly as the men.” She slanted a smug look at Riddick and then back at the Vaakos. “I can kill you with my brain.”

* * *

 

Vaako and his wife had left after that and Kitten had sat down on the bed, fingering the sheets thoughtfully. “They’re sensualists,” She commented.

“What’s that?” Riddick slanted a distracted look at her, he was focusing on the tell-tale sound of transmitting/listening devices whining at their high frequency and opening drawers in search of them.

“They don’t truly feel emotions, only pale shadows of them, so they concentrate on the physical. Silk and satin sheets, feather pillows, plush carpets,” Kitten explained, filling the silence while he worked. “Everything is to enhance physical sensation. This entire room is one ugly plush box.”

“Yeah. Believe it or not the one they put me in when I took over was worse than this,” Riddick grinned at her as he found a device and crushed it beneath his boot. When he’d practically tossed the rooms and found four more, plus two in the bathroom and one in the closet he sat down and pulled her into his lap. “Find anything?”

“He was on Furya when it was attacked. He knows you’re Furyan, has always known, because you look exactly like the warriors he remembers.” Kitten said quietly, “Though the Necros attacked from the air there was still resistance when they came to ground. The warriors of Furya each slew hundreds with their weapons. And when they ran out of ammunition, every warrior killed at least thirty more in hand to hand combat. He truly believes that if the Furyans had the numbers and firepower, the Necromongers would have lost. Would lose now if circumstances were different.”

“Well that’s nice to know,” Riddick rolled his eyes and got up when there was a tentative scratching at the door. A trembling slave handed him a box and he snarled in irritation at the interruption as he took it and slammed the door.

“His color enhancing goggles?” Kitten asked with a smile.

“Yeah,” He grinned. Back when they’d first begun their partnership they’d exchanged stories now and then, getting to know each other, and he’d told her about getting the Necros to make him custom goggles so he could see colors again. “Only good thing about coming back here. I can see you.”

“You already see me,” She grinned at him.

“Yeah but now,” He took his goggles off and fixed the new ones around his head, wincing at the riot of color in the room and focusing on her. “Now I can really see you. The color of your hair and eyes, your lips.”

“Nothing spectacular,” Kitten demurred, and he shook his head.

“You’re beautiful,” Riddick hadn’t ever seen anyone so lovely. All the contrasts that so delighted his eyes in their natural state were still present in milky white skin, touched with rose in her cheeks as she blushed under his gaze. Her lips were a deep soft pink and her eyes were a dark brown so deep they were nearly black. Her hair was the same, lush and dark and he wanted to run his hands through it. “Take off your clothes Kitten, lemme see you.”

Her uncertain look at the door had him moving to slide the bolt home and drag a couch in front of it for good measure before he moved back to the bed and began to take off his own clothing before reaching for hers. He’d already locked the servant’s entrance in the closet when he’d been looking for the listening devices, so they wouldn’t be interrupted. Body armor hit the floor along with her shirt and cargo pants, boots and underwear and he groaned at the sight of her. Her nipples were just a touch duskier than her lips, her entire body a pale cream against his darker hands.

As he touched her, Kitten’s scent changed, warming with need and she moved to her knees before him, fastening her mouth around his dick and sucking her way down him. He groaned, she was so fucking good at that, and stiffened as movement caught his eye.

Vaako had come back to the suite via the servants’ entrance to leave the reports.

Riddick snarled and Kitten backed up with an angry shriek, both of them flinging the shivs from their wrist sheaths at the Necro just before Riddick dragged the bedspread over Kitten to cover her and stalked towards the intruding Commander. Vaako managed to dodge the knives but couldn’t avoid Riddick. “What’n the bloody fuck are you doing in here?” He picked Vaako up by the harness of his armor and shook him. “No one. NO _tā mā de_ One has the right to see my woman but me. My door is _tā mā de_ locked for a _tiān shā de_ reason. You ever come in here again without permission and you’ll get an up close and personal look at before ‘due time’. You get me?”

His reply was a strangled nod and Riddick threw him towards the servants’ door, moving after him and shoving him out. He walked back into the bedroom fully expecting Kitten to be upset and tearful, only to be greeted with a hot kiss on the mouth and her legs wrapped around his waist.

“You’re okay?” He managed the question and she nodded, wrapping her fingers around his cock and stroking him.

“Hmm… she finds his strength and protectiveness arousing,” Kitten rubbed against him. “Want you inside me now.”

“Fuck yes,” He rearranged her and sat down on the nearest surface, pushing inside her tight body and groaning at the hot wet feel of her. “Come on my cock Kitten.”

“Ohh…” She was moaning already and he began to tug and tease her pretty tits, loving how the color darkened, her breasts swollen and tips tight with need. “Riddick…”

“That’s it.” He growled as she shuddered and lifted her again, turning her back to his chest and reaching between her thighs to stroke her clit. “Fuck you good and hard Kitten.”

“Yes, Riddick,” She pushed down onto him with a cry of his name and he growled, pumping his cock in and out of her. “I… unghh…I’m…”

“Yeah,” She was coming around him, squeezing him tight and jerking his seed out of his body, like lava boiling up through his balls and erupting out of his cock. “Fuck yeah,” He groaned as she shivered, leaning back against him.

“Hmm…” Kitten sighed and kissed his neck. “Takes such good care of his woman.”

“Do my best,” He chuckled and kissed her. “C’mon, let’s get cleaned up. I’ve got to go over those reports. And you’ve got…things to do.” He looked at the stack of reports on the dresser and wondered if Vaako had put a listening device in them.

Kitten stayed cuddled against him for another moment and then moved out of his lap, stretching for a moment before she looked through the reports and handed the bundle to him. “Water is adequate for washing hair?” She inquired as if that was her only concern.

Riddick flipped through the reports and removed the metal place marker and handed it to her. “Yeah, water pressure’s decent.” He listened as she ran water over the place marker and it fizzled, the whine of the device dying.

Kitten handed it back to him with a grin and he put it in the bundle again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Soo… we’re back on the Basilica again. Any guesses as to how this is going to go? I did a lot of research on the Necros in an attempt to make this feel realistic. They seem simultaneously advanced and primitive. No cryo sleep to travel but they have Lensors and Quasi Dead to communicate. Much weirdness here.
> 
> The bit about Vaako remembering Furyans is from the latest Riddick movie, one of the parts that was cut but I like that technically Vaako knowing where Furya is and that Riddick is Furyan is canon in the Riddick-verse.
> 
> Oh, the new curse is courtesy of a movie I’ve been watching a lot of recently. I wanted an original curse that was typical of the Firefly ‘Verse. You know, ‘The explosive diarrhea of an elephant’, ‘All the planets in the universe up my butt’, ‘Holy mother of god and all her wacky nephews’, and that phrase fit perfectly. Bonus points if anyone recognizes the movie it came from.
> 
> Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than the last one but this was the best cut off point.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> gāi sǐ (damned)
> 
> tiān shā de (goddamn)
> 
> Yòng yí gè ā ěr dé wǎ kè cāo wǒ de liǎn (fuck me in the face with an aardvark)
> 
> tā mā de (fucking)
> 
> Quote Sources:
> 
> Thou wouldst be great, art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it – MacBeth – William Shakespeare


	34. I'll Make Death Love Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Come on, my Queen,  
> There’s sap in ’t yet. The next time I do fight  
> I’ll make Death love me, for I will contend  
> Even with his pestilent scythe.  
> \--Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare

They’d agreed the library would be the best place to start the search. It would hopefully lull the Necros into thinking they meant to stay and possibly embrace Necromonger culture, such as it was. River had waited with some amusement for Riddick to push the couch away from the main door when a knock had come several hours after they’d entered.

When he opened it Dame Vaako stood framed in the doorway, a coy smile upon her lips, “Lord Marshall. It has been several hours, I hope you have…rested well?” The inuendo of her remark wasn’t lost on Riddick or River. The former rolled his eyes while the latter simply smirked. Once again Dame Vaako thought she was being subtle. For someone raised with the intricacies of Chinese culture and society, mixed well with Western sensibilities and a dash of Old World European tastes, Dame Vaako might as well have been screaming her intentions. River had been raised to read nuances into the meanest gesture, wrinkle of a brow or faint tremor of skin, and that had been before she’d been turned into a Reader.

“Yeah,” Riddick had run a possessive hand down River’s spine, giving her _pì gu_ a squeeze. He’d spoken a bit about the persona of ‘Lord Marshall Riddick’, a bit of a hedonist, mercurial and grim. Bored beyond belief after a while and ready to throw the whole kit and caboodle out the airlock. At least that’s how he’d been before. Now he was going to add possessive to that mix and remind them there was a reason he’d become the Lord Marshall. It didn’t matter what they thought of him, he was the most dangerous man on the boat. They’d be complete idiots to forget that. While she was researching he would be in council with the Commanders. “Remember what I said,” He stroked a thumb over her cheek. “Anyone touches you without permission, do as you like with them. Spikes. Heads. Walls.”

“Could simply turn them into eunuchs.” River suggested wickedly. “Still be good fighters. Just useless to women. And since Necros don’t breed it shouldn’t matter.” She snapped her fingers for Dog and he came to her side, pressing his head against her ribs affectionately.

“There’s a thought,” Riddick smirked. “Maybe I’ll bring that possibility up to some of the Commanders who’re getting above their place.”

Dame Vaako’s eyes had widened slightly and River smirked, “Shall we go?” She stood on her tiptoes and Riddick bent minimally so she could press her lips to his. “ _Nǐ dài zhe wǒ de xīn_. _Zhù yì_ my Lord Riddick. _Zhēn tā mā yào mìng_.” He’d nodded and she’d inclined her head towards Dame Vaako, stepping out of the doorway and forcing the woman to take a step back or be bumped into.

The first few moments of their walk were in silence as River studied the architecture, all of it rather gothic and not in an elegant way, Dog a quiet shadow at her side. It was almost lurid in its overdone grotesque way. As if someone had mixed baroque and gothic and thrown in a dash of Dracula and Frankenstein for good measure. “Lady Riddick, I hope my husband didn’t intrude upon you?” Dame Vaako began, “He’d understood the Lord Marshall to mean he wanted those reports immediately.”

“So immediately that he unlocked a door the Lord Marshall himself had locked?” River inquired dryly. “Your husband has an interesting definition of privacy.”

“I believe you might have shocked him,” Dame Vaako was smiling conspiratorially, as if one woman to another.

River laughed, “I feel for all of you if such a simple and pleasurable act is shocking.” She glanced at Dame Vaako as if evaluating her. This was a good way to get a measure of Necromonger culture without giving much away. Buddha knew the woman was nosy enough. Her ambition must do pushups in her sleep. Lady MacBeth would have advised restraint. “Surely a woman as well married as yourself understands how to please her husband?”

“Such an act is for bedslaves,” The woman shrugged. “No Lady of the Necromongers would stoop so low. Vaako was…quite surprised to see you thus.” Her tone implied River had obviously been forced or was no lady.

River raised an eyebrow as if in pity. “Then your men don’t pleasure their women this way either?” Dame Vaako shook her head silently and River couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up in her throat and spilled from her lips, echoing in the corridors. Dog perked up curiously and she petted him, ignoring the stares she was getting from every Necro in the halls.

“This amuses?” Dame Vaako inquired and when River simply giggled, continued, “You believe our men should lower themselves to such things?”

River sighed, shaking her head, “You completely misunderstand the act.” When the woman simply regarded her quizzically River rolled her eyes. “You assume because a woman is on her knees that she’s subservient. To kneel before Riddick, to take him in my mouth… at that moment, he is at my mercy. It may look as if he is dominant, but he is the one who craves what I can give him. To give _kǒu yín_ is to have complete power over your partner. It’s a heady thing.”

“So it is power you take in the act, not pleasure,” Dame Vaako misunderstood again and River shook her head.

“I take great pleasure in it. In knowing how I can please him, in feeling him strain for release and finally capitulate to my caresses, knowing I can go as slowly or quickly as I choose. Certain that he will never stop me.” She smirked at Dame Vaako, “And I assure you, to be at his mercy in such a fashion is…exquisite.”

“You mean he…” Dame Vaako lowered her voice as if uttering a scandalous question. “Kneels before you?”

The Reader grinned outright, “I assure you, even on his knees, there is nothing subservient about my Riddick. And being at his mercy…” She shivered remembering the last time Riddick had used his tongue on her. “He’ll tease me and torment me with pleasure before I fall. It pleases him to no end.”

Dame Vaako didn’t seem to know what to say to that and soon after they arrived at the library.

* * *

 

He hadn’t been in council for five minutes before the first attempt on his life was made. It wasn’t Vaako, the man was more subtle than that, even if he was obvious to someone like Kitten. Toal wasn’t. Toal also hadn’t seemed bright or ambitious enough to make a play like that on his own. So someone else had made a heavy handed enough suggestion that Toal understood and attacked.

“Make a deal with you,” Riddick smiled as he turned the knife in the Necro’s belly. Sometimes it was just fun to fuck with the Necromongers. His atrophied conscience never raised a peep of protest when he did. “You live with this wound and I won’t finish the job. You come at me again, you’ll wish you hadn’t. You’ll wish whoever put you up to this dies a long painful death before due time.”

He dropped the Commander on the ground and looked at the circle of Necros around him, “You all want a piece of me? Want to see if you can manage what Krone failed to do? By all means. Come at me.”

No one moved and he smirked, “Finally remembered what you’re dealing with did you? Any of you happen to recall Furya? How your attack went there? You might have won the battle but from what I’ve heard it was something of a pyrrhic victory. My people are just as dangerous in hand to hand as they are with a gun. And thanks to Zhylaw, I grew up learning how to fight and kill with whatever came to hand. So if you want to fuck with a Furyan you picked the worst fucking one.”

Vaako looked at him, puzzlement and curiosity in his eyes even if his face was carefully blank and Riddick chuckled. “Necromongers…you think you’re the only power in the ‘Verse. With your lensors and quasi dead and purification. You conquer, but you don’t learn. When’s the last time you bothered to take knowledge from your vanquished enemies?”

“No one has had any worth taking,” Scalp Taker sneered.

“Arrogant and ignorant. The worst possible combination in a soldier.” Riddick shook his head, “It’s worse in a Commander.” He looked around at them, “You were Zhylaw’s best. Advisors, tacticians, strategists… But none of you have any idea what’s out there.” He smirked, “Upside of you trying to dump me off, met Kitten, and I learned a helluva lot more.” The quote Kitten liked to throw at him when he was doing his wooden chicken act seemed appropriate, “There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Back then philosophy meant science.” His smirk deepened, “Kitten knows all sortsa shit.”

He took the encyclopedia Kitten had given him out of his belt pouch and punched in a few codes, patching it into the screens used to guide the fleet. “You all think you’re so badass. Big scary fuckers. World breakers, planet shakers. Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.” Kitten had reminded him of that quote, by the man who’d helped invent the atomic bomb, and his compatriot who’d quietly replied, ‘now we are all sons of bitches’. Neither of them had been wrong. And mankind just kept rushing headlong into repeating the same mistakes, with brand new consequences.

He pulled up the footage of the Miranda Wave, forwarding it to the end just before Dr. Carron tried to kill herself. He hadn’t known the woman’s name until Kitten had told him. He knew the Necros wouldn’t give a damn about her anyway. But the Reavers…they were something the Necros might be interested in. They hadn’t paid any attention to what he was researching before they’d tried to dump him, more fools they. He could use that.

If he could throw them a bone to chew on and play with; that would buy he and Kitten some time to find Furya. And just maybe it would convince them they weren’t all powerful. They could use a little humility to go along with the hubris they wore like their crappy armor. “You see that?” He paused the capture on the attacking Reaver’s face. “That was a normal human male. Likely was an office worker, no combat experience or skills. He was exposed to a chemical in the air processors and had an atypical response.”

“Atypical?” Vaako always did have an eye for detail.

“Most folks, they breathe the shit in, they just want to lie back and do nothing. Best part of the population of the planet did just that, let themselves starve to death.” Riddick shrugged, “But in a tenth of a percent of the population the response is the opposite. The aggressor response is increased. Beyond sanity. They’ll eat people alive, rape them, skin them, torture them to death.” He smirked at the Commanders, staring at the screen in something like awe. “And they have the numbers to make life very interesting.”

“The numbers?” Kurd, a blond Commander half a head shorter than most of the others asked quietly. He was interesting, very quiet and analytical and was almost always to the point when he spoke. Riddick doubted he’d ever make a play for the ‘throne’ but he’d make a helluva power behind it. Not much got past him.

“Oh yeah, that’s the best part,” Riddick punched up another capture Kitten had husked. “They have a fleet.” He showed them the capture feed from an Alliance ship at the battle above Universe’s moon. “You’ll notice their intention is to board. They don’t ever just shoot a ship out of the sky. Unless you manage to kill them from a distance, combat with them always ends up being hand to hand. And they don’t mind a kamikaze run to get there either. They want the up close kill. They want you alive when they eat you.”

“There’s no strategy at all,” Vaako observed. “Nothing to predict.”

“Nope,” Riddick shrugged. The look on their faces was hilarious as they tried to take in the idea of an enemy with no organized resistance, no tactics beyond destruction, no motives beyond hunger and rage.

“How many survive against these…things…when they do engage in combat?” Another Commander, Lodal, asked thoughtfully.

“Depends,” Riddick pointed at the ships. “The things are called Reavers. Those are Alliance ships. Full of soldiers. Good ones too. If they’re on those ships they were very good. In the skirmish I showed you, they lost about half of them. Killed a lot of the Reavers, but its costly. And they couldn’t kill all of them.” He spread his hands and reiterated his earlier point for good measure, “Reavers’ll take a ship, kill everyone by torture, rape, skin them…eat them even. Except for a couple. And those left alive go mad, become Reavers themselves.”

Riddick watched their faces, waiting for the penny to drop, a couple, the stupider ones, were eager, for battle, to prove themselves, or just to kill. The smarter ones were concerned, not sure why he was informing them of these Reavers.

“The way it’s been explained to me, it’s a contagion of the mind.” He told them plainly. “Go mad, become what they were forced to see, out of sheer need to escape it. They attack anything that moves. If you aren’t a fighter, the only way to survive them is hunker down and hope they get bored and go away before they can get to where you’ve hidden.”

“And if you are a fighter?” Kurd was just full of the good questions today.

“If you’re a fighter, unless you’re…different, you’ve got a maybe one in twenty chance of coming out alive. If you’re a good fighter, it’s one in ten. And that’s if you’ve got luck on your side. You need skill, luck, plenty of imagination and a will of fucking steel.” Riddick figured those were pretty accurate odds, given what Kitten had told him and considering what he’d witnessed of Reavers.

“How can you know?” Vaako asked. “Have you been in battle with these Reavers?”

“I boarded a ship where they’d left three to become Reavers,” Riddick told him. “I’m alive. Not even a new scar to show for it.”

“You can judge from three only?” Scalp Taker was skeptical. “Three who weren’t at the best if they were new to this…state of mind.”

Riddick chuckled, “No. I don’t judge from that.” He smirked, “I brought a woman back with me. Mentioned her a few times, Kitten. You might have seen her.” Vaako nodded that he had to the other commanders.

Lodal looked up from the screens he was studying, “Smallish? Wearing men’s garb and weapons?”

“Yeah, that’s my Kitten,” Riddick nodded.

“What has a woman,” Scalp Taker sneered the word, “Have to do with these Reavers?”

Riddick leaned back against the console and smiled. Several of the Commanders, the smart ones, including Kurd, Lodal and Vaako, took a half step back from the smile. As well they should, that particular smile never boded well for anyone. Apparently it was a bit too bloodthirsty, even for Necromongers. “She fought and killed over forty of them. At one time.” The reaction to that was shock and silence from the smart ones while the less intelligent began spouting words like impossible and ridiculous. Through all of it he just smiled at them and waited. When they were finally silent again he spoke, “How many of you have seen me fight?”

There was a general chorus since all of them had, at one time or another before he’d decided to leave. He’d made a point of personal combat with each of them to reinforce the notion that he was the alpha here. It had worked to an extent. When they figured out they couldn’t beat him in single combat the assassins had started to come out of the woodwork.

“So you understand that fighting with me is not for the weak. Or the stupid.” He regarded them expectantly. Sometimes it felt like he was dealing with toddlers, leading them along point to point to the correct conclusions. They were grown ass men, you’d think they’d learned to reason and figure things out on their own. But here he was, prompting them to think over and over again.

“Fighting with you is more…an exercise in survival my Lord,” Lodal said respectfully and several others nodded in agreement.

“I’m glad you understand that. Because even when I’m not fighting to kill, I give no quarter. Going easy on someone experienced in combat does them no favors.” Riddick pointed out. That got a round of nods again. There was no quarter given among the Necromongers, you either survived or you didn’t. Only the worthy would ascend.

“So when I tell you that Kitten and I regularly spar and she can fight me to a standstill, you’ll take my full meaning,” Riddick said flatly. “And that was when she wasn’t up to full strength.” It was true, Kitten still wasn’t at what he’d consider a healthy weight. His belief had been more than confirmed by the look in her brothers’ eyes when they’d met up on Beaumonde. Riddick was really looking forward to Kitten getting her full health back and seeing what she could really do. That would be so fucking fun it should be illegal. And fucking her after would be mind blowing.

Even Vaako looked shocked at that and there was a murmur of surprise and not a little shock. Riddick smirked in satisfaction. “You all are bored, want something to conquer. You want your war and glory and a good fight. You want that, we’ll go and fight the Reavers. You don’t want to fight Reavers then I don’t want to hear any more bitching about us not conquering worlds.”

He surveyed them, feeling a bit smug at their even more shocked reactions. “I’m a fucking Furyan. If you can’t deal with a challenge what kind of fucking army am I leading? You want me to lead you, be your Lord Marshall, then you had better be the best. You take on Reavers and win? That’ll prove it. If you survive.”

* * *

 

River had found the library to be interesting, the cortexes were actually a bit primitive in comparison to hers. It would be easy to download the entire archives onto her disposable cortex. She just might do that when she came back. As it was she bored Dame Vaako to tears examining texts about the Necros and the worlds they’d conquered. There was no mention of Furya. She’d have to Read Vaako to find the planet and shut Shirah up.

When she’d judged the woman bored and irritated enough to leave River alone in the library in the future she stood. “Perhaps we might look at some of the other rooms now?” She suggested.

“Of course,” Dame Vaako was glad to be moving again. “I took the liberty of arranging for additional clothing for you. You’ll need to be fitted of course, but we know how to make the best of even the most slender figure.”

The woman thought she was being insulting, as if the Reader was unaware of her own body. River smiled dryly, “Dame Vaako, you don’t know anything about the Alliance do you?” Dog pushed against her side affectionately and she patted his shoulder in return.

“I’ve no need to know about a primitive society destined for conquering,” Dame Vaako didn’t quite sneer but she managed to give the impression of it.

“How many languages do you speak?” River changed the subject.

“The only language it is needful for me to speak,” The woman didn’t even understand of stupid she was.

River shook her head, “So that would be…one.” She began to walk out of the library, conscious of the woman at her back. It was hard to tell with such a small sample to represent the society but she had to wonder if all of the Necromongers were this…primitive. Like their cortexes, as if they simply stopped growing or learning at a certain stage and it never even occurred to them to go any further. Or was that what being a Necromonger meant?

“And why is that important?” Dame Vaako forgot herself so much as to nearly speak in demand.

“There’s an old story,” River spoke as if to Dog or herself. “From Earth That Was. A story of history. There was a land across the sea from the old established countries. And the old countries wished to have the land for their own. Two countries in particular vied for a choice piece of territory. Spain and Portugal. When the Spanish came to the new land, they tried threats, and armies and attempted to conquer the native peoples to take the land for their own. And they were resisted, violently, defeated, and thrown out. When the Portuguese came to the new land, they brought gifts, things the native peoples had never seen before. They offered to trade more of these fine things for the raw goods the natives had in abundance.”

“And?” Dame Vaako wasn’t getting the point.

“Hundreds of years later, the land was called Brazil. And it was one of the only countries in that new land that spoke Portuguese.” River looked at her, “Sometimes persuasion works better than conquering. Subtlety over brute force.” She could see by the look on Dame Vaako’s face that the woman still didn’t understand. Or didn’t care to understand. River sighed and shook her head, “Never mind. It’s obviously something you aren’t interested in learning.”

The Necro woman shrugged in her sinuous way and guided River back towards the hall of Lord Marshall’s rooms. An aura of cold hostility rolled towards her and Dog growled in his throat. “ _Ō, zhè zhēn shì ge kuàilè de jìnzhǎn_ ,” The Reader sighed. There were plenty of other people around, it being a semipublic hallway, but the source became obvious almost immediately as a large man was walking towards her with clenched fists.

“Might want to step away,” River remarked to Dame Vaako without concern. “I’m about to have my first fight with a Necro Commander.”

“You don’t belong here, no more than he does,” The big man bellowed as he came closer. “A woman, armed as if she’s a warrior, not even clothed properly. A breeder woman at that.”

River laughed and patted Dog, “Combat. Guard.” She told her four-legged friend and Dog whined but moved towards the wall, away from her, hackles up and warning everyone away. He would keep an eye on her surroundings during the fight. It gave him something to concentrate on so he wouldn’t interfere and get hurt. She and Riddick had begun training him thus when they’d begun sparred because Dog got confused when they first began. It had taken time but now Dog was very good at his job. Even in a crowded smelly bar he could suss out someone about to interfere in a fight she or Riddick had taken on.

“With whom do I have the misfortune of speaking?” River rolled her eyes as the man came closer. His mind was like a dull stone, little used, “Ah, Commander Bract.” That surprised him but didn’t stop his forward motion. “I take it you find my presence offensive.”

“You will be taken to be converted, given the mark of the Necromongers and learn your place.” She was told flatly. As if he merely had to say it and it would occur. These people were so _chī shǎ_ as to be boorish. This one really was _daì ruò mù ji_. Not to mention _shàng bù dé tái pán_. How had he become a Commander?

“No,” River shook her head with a sigh. “I won’t.” She glanced around the hall at the silently watching crowd that had gathered and realized that while no one would help no one would interfere either. A read of his stupidly inept brain told her just how he’d risen to his rank. Just smart enough to betray the man above him, not smart enough to keep his men alive after, he’d been promoted to his level of incompetence. “You will die. And you will never see the Underverse you so desperately believe in. _È yǒu 'èbào_. And I will keep what I kill.”

That infuriated him, as much as a Necromonger could be infuriated. Affronted was perhaps the better word. She considered, tilting her head slightly, appearing supremely unconcerned and listening to his mind and the ones around her. Dame Vaako sounded more than a little bloodthirsty, but she seemed to feel a bit more than the average Necromonger.

The Commander drew a large axe with a spear tip in place of a hilt and came at her. River drew her sword and axe and simply waited, stepping aside and letting him crash past her. When he recovered and turned to make another run she waited again, curious to see if he’d learn. He didn’t seem to do so, repeating his actions, though when she stepped aside he attempted to pivot and follow her.

“Do you know what the definition of insanity is?” She remarked casually as she ducked a swing of the axe, sliding along the marble floor and slicing at his Achilles tendon. “It’s doing the same thing, over and over, and expecting a different result. _Zhè fēng kuáng_.”

He swung at her, limping now, both hands on the axe and she decided enough was enough. He was bigger than a Reaver but far slower and she doubted he would bite. His armor gave beneath the blows of her axe and soon he was bleeding from a dozen slices to his arms and legs.

Apparently he decided a change in tactics was called for, holding the axe in one hand and pulling a long blade with the other. River smiled in mocking approval, “You’re learning.” She nearly chuckled, “But it will do you no good.”

A murmur of shock rolled through the crowd as the spectators realized she’d been toying with him, like a cat with a mouse. The fight that followed was brief and bloody and when it was done Bract was gasping, her sword sliding slowly back out of his throat as blood fountained to the marble floors. River looked around with a slow smile, “Anyone else? That was a nice little fight. Gets the blood going.”

The watching throng took a slight step back as she moved towards them and her smile turned to a smirk. Crouching she picked up the long blade and the odd double headed axe, sticking one in her belt and balancing the other over her shoulder. “Dame Vaako, is my Lord still in council?”

The woman blinked, slowly as if calculating her answer, and nodded. “I believe he would be my Lady.”

“I will see him now. I believe he should know he has a new Commander.” River ordered coolly. A snap of her fingers released Dog from his guard duty and he bounded to her side, sniffing at the dead Necro curiously and then releasing his bladder on the body. River rolled her eyes, “Oh, that’s your opinion of the matter is it?” Dog woofed and she patted his neck before waving at the body. “Someone clean up this _gǒushǐ duī_ before it stinks up the hall.”

“I…I shall show you the way my lady,” Dame Vaako’s thoughts were turning a mile a minute, wondering how she could use River to her advantage, if River could be manipulated to turn on Riddick.

“ _Lǐ suǒ dāng rán_.” River smiled coldly and decided to twist the knife just a bit, “You may accompany me, but there’s no need to show me the way.” The path was laid out in the Necromonger woman’s thoughts, but even if it weren’t, she could find Riddick anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: So… they’ve got a plan. River researches, Riddick distracts, and they both take any opportunity that presents itself to find Furya. This time around, Riddick is really paying more attention to how the Necros do things, what sort of society it is and how he can use their own weaknesses to his advantage. All that time spent with River has taught him a few things and he’s got a goal this time around. I felt that when he first became Lord Marshall he really was at something of a loss, had no plan of action and was just coasting. He had to deal with the fact that the Necromongers had literally taken everything from him. 
> 
> And then he had to lead them. So bury himself in wine, food and women and try not to think too much, let himself get civilized without even realizing it. 
> 
> This time though, with a goal, with River as his partner, there’s no danger of sinking back into that old headspace. And the Necromongers are in for…well…as you see. This isn’t the Riddick they’re used to. Fun times.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> pì gu (butt)
> 
> Nǐ dài zhe wǒ de xīn (You carry my heart with you)
> 
> Zhù yì (Be careful)
> 
> Zhēn tā mā yào mìng. The situation’s really fucked up.)
> 
> kǒu yín (oral sex / fellatio)
> 
> Ō, zhè zhēn shì ge kuàilè de jìnzhǎn (Oh, this is a happy development)
> 
> chī shǎ (stupid / foolish)
> 
> daì ruò mù ji (dumb as a wooden chicken)
> 
> shàng bù dé tái pán (too uncouth to appear in public (idiom) / unfit for a public role)
> 
> È yǒu 'èbào (evil has its retribution (idiom); to suffer the consequences of one's bad deeds / sow the wind and reap the whirlwind - Hosea 8:7)
> 
> Zhè fēng kuáng (that's crazy)
> 
> gǒushǐ duī (a person who behaves badly (lit. "a pile of dog shit"))
> 
> Lǐ suǒ dāng rán (as it should be by rights (idiom); proper and to be expected as a matter of course / inevitable and right)
> 
> Quote Sources:
> 
> Spikes. Heads. Walls – Game of Thrones – George RR Martin
> 
> There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. – Hamlet – William Shakespeare
> 
> Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds - J. Robert Oppenheimer
> 
> Now we are all sons of bitches - Kenneth Bainbridge


End file.
